
Class_ UVi:? .0 \ 

Book ' r\ fe a 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr. 



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Harper's Practical Books for Boys 

A SERIES OF NEW HANDY-BOOKS 
FOR AMERICAN BOYS 

Each CrozuH 8vo, -with many Illustrations, Cloth, $1.75 



I 

HARPER'S OUTDOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

By Joseph H. Adams. With Additional Gjntri- 
butions by Kirk Munroe, Tappan Adney, Capt. 
Howard Patterson, L. M. Yale, and others. 

IN PRESS 
II 

HARPER'S ELECTRICITY BOOK FOR BOYS 

By Joseph H. Adams. With an Introduction by 
Thomas A. Edison. 

Ill 
HARPER'S INDOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 
By Joseph H. Adams. 
IV 
HARPER'S MACHINERY BOOK FOR BOYS 

The Boy's Own Book of Engines and Machinery. 
By Joseph H. Adams and others. 



HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK 



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FIG. II — A SINGLE-TREE HUT 



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HARPER'S 
OUTDOOR BOOK 

FOR BOYS 



BY 
JOSEPH H 



ADAMS 



WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY 

KIRK MUNROE, TAPPAN ADNEY 

CAPT. HOWARD PATTERSON 

LEROY MILTON YALE 

AND OTHERS 



WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS 




HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 

MCMVII 



m y^^>^^^^KV^vxyKvvvvvvv^^vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv^^ 



UBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cooles Received 
MAY 16 1907 

^ CooyriKht Entry 

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COPY B. 



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Copyright, 1907, by Harper & Brothers. 



^U rights reserved. 
Published May, 1907. 



CONTENTS 

Part I 
IN BOUNDS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER I.— BACK- YARD PLEASURES 3 

A Wigwam A Fountain 

A Square Tepee An Aquarium 

A Ridge-pole Tepee How to Manage an Aquarium 

A Merry-go-round 

CHAPTER II.— PET SHELTERS 29 

Martin Boxes Guinea-pig Houses 

Bird Shelters Chicken-coops 

Pigeon-cotes Rabbit-hutches 

Dog-kennels Squirrel Cages 

Reptile Pens 

CHAPTER III.— SUMMER-HOUSES AND PERGOLAS ... 52 

A Simple Summer-house A Rustic Pergola 

A Back-yard Pergola A Circular Pergola 

A Toadstool Tree Canopy A Summer Shelter 

CHAPTER IV.— WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS . . 59 

A Pinion-wheel Weather-vane A Basket-ball Vane 
A Wind-speeder A Merry-go-round 

The Arrow Weather-vane A Wind Turbine 

Wooden Vanes A Barrel-hoop Pinion-wheel 

A Wind-pennant A Pumping Windmill 

A Windmill and Tower 
vii 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

CHAPTER v.— AERIAL TOYS 8i 

The Elastic Flying-machine Aerial Boat-sailing 

Self-acting Aerial Car A •* High-flyer " 



Part II 
AFIELD 

CHAPTER VL— COASTERS, SKEES, AND SNOW-SHOES . . loi 

Toboggans A Bob-sled 

A Rocker-coaster Skees 

A Single-runner Coaster Snow-shoes 

CHAPTER VIL — SAIL-SKATING AND SNOWBALL ARTIL- 
LERY IIS 

A Skating-sail a Square-rigged Ice-sail 

A Snowball Mortar 

CHAPTER VIII.— KITES AND AEROPLANES 120 

The Ship Kite Bat-wing and Crown-top Kites 

The Chinese-junk Kite Sandwich Islands Bird Kite 

The Schooner Kite Box Kites 

A Balloon Kite The Flying -wedge and Double- 

An Air-ship Kite plane Kite 

Kite-reels 

CHAPTER IX.— FISHING-TACKLE 144 

Choice of Tackle A Trap for Small Fish 

Bait-rods and Fly-rods A Water-turtle Trap 

Repairs, Knots, and Splices An Eel-pot 

Aids for Young Anglers A Scap-net 

Baits, and Where to Find Them A Hook Drop-net 

viii 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

CHAPTER X.— LAND- YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES ... 177 
A Land-yacht A Sail-wagon 

A PUSHMOBILE 

CHAPTER XI.— FIRE-ENGINES AND TRUCKS 191 

The Engine The Hose-carriage 

The Hook-and-Ladder Truck 

CHAPTER XII.— WATER-WHEELS 201 

A Simple Paddle-wheel An Undershot-wheel 

A Wagon Wheel A Power-wheel 

A Barrel-wheel A Wheel-race 



Part III 
AFLOAT 

CHAPTER XIII.— BOATS 211 

Punt and Scow A Centre-board Sharpy 

A Sharpy A Proa 

A Dory A Lark 

A Sailing Sharpy A Power-boat 

CHAPTER XIV.— CATAMARANS 239 

A Rowing Catamaran A Sailing Catamaran 

A Side-wheel Catamaran 

CHAPTER XV.— ICE-BOATS 249 

A Sloop-rigged Ice-yacht Scoots and Scooters 

A Twin-mast Ice-boat A Wind-runner 

CHAPTER XVI.— HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 261 

A House-punt A House-raft 

A Float 
ix 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

CHAPTER XVII.— MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP .... 280 



Splices 
Knots 



Bends 
Hitches 



Part IV 
IN THE WOODS 



CHAPTER XVIII.— CAMPS AND CAMPING 295 



A Tent op Medium Size 
A Large Camping-tent 
Flies and Canopies 

A HoUSE-TENT 

The New Tent 

Canvas Cots and Hammocks 



Tables and Benches 

Camping Equipment 

Lockers and Mess-kits 

A Stone Stove and Camp-fires 

Camp-cooking 

The Care of a Gun 



CHAPTER XIX.— TRAPS AND TRAPPING . 

Snares and Deadfalls 



33' 



CHAPTER XX.— TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES . 



350 



A Low Twin-tree Hut 
A High Twin-tree Hut 
A Single-tree Hut 



A Low Single-tree Hut 

A Brush-house 

A Brush " Lean-to " 



CHAPTER XXL— WALKING-STICKS 

How TO Grow Them for Pleasure and Profit 



367 



INTRODUCTION 

** T TOW to do it," might very well be the title of this new 
1 1 handy-book for American boys. It is first and last a 
practical guide, based upon the experience of those who 
have done what they describe. Results are wanted, not 
theories in a book of this kind, and careful tests have been 
applied to secure working results and the certainty that 
everything will come out all right. 

Another point, which has had the most careful attention 
of a board of editors, is that of selection. It would be easy 
to include a quantity of sports and games, and also plans 
for elaborate contrivances neither particularly amusing 
nor necessary when done. But the object of this book is 
to show boys how to do accurately things which are quite 
within their powers, and things also which will be a satis- 
faction when they are done. The plan followed is to de- 
velop a boy's ingenuity and mechanical ability along lines 
which will reward him. In short, the book is intended to 
help a boy to think and act for himself and to have fun in 
doing it. 

The plan of arrangement which is followed is the natural 
one — to begin at home. The back yard lies immediately 
at hand. Let us see what can be done there. The aquari- 
um, pet shelters, windmills, and many other contrivances 
are identified with the home. 

xi 



INTRODUCTION 



Going farther afield we learn the making of coasters and 
skees, ice-boats and snow cannon, and all that enters into 
winter sports. There is the air, also, with its invitation to 
kites and aeroplanes, and there is water, with all the 
chances for the use of water-power and sport. Fishing 
itself is something best learned by experience, but the 
choice and management of tackle afford a most instruc- 
tive theme. And water naturally has an importance which 
requires an entire division of the book wherein boat- 
building and boat-management of all kinds are thorough- 
ly and practically explained. 

Camping out, which appeals to every healthy boy, is 
treated from every point of view in the fourth division of 
the book, which includes also trapping, taxidermy, and tree 
huts and brush houses. 

In all these general divisions the aim of the editors and 
author has been to show in the simplest and most accurate 
way how to do things which are amusing to do and valuable 
when done. 

The principal contributor to this book is an amateur car- 
penter, boat-builder, and mechanician as well as an artist 
and writer. One editor has had a wide practical experience 
in almost everything that has to do with out-door amuse- 
ments. Another has camped and fished in the four corners 
of our country and in Canada. AH their experience has 
been combined to prepare a convenient out -door handy- 
book free from unnecessary words and details, and filled 
with the latest and best methods, which will be indispen- 
sable to every American boy who likes the fun of doing 
things for himself. 



Part I 
IN BOUNDS 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Chapter I 

BACK- YARD PLEASURES 

SINCE home is the natural centre of life, it will be most 
helpful if we find out what we can do just outside 
the house. In large cities there is usually no front yard, 
and even where such space exists its use as a play-ground 
is apt to be undesirable. But the back yard even in cities 
often affords some chances not only for gardening on a 
small scale but also for making and using a variety of 
things which will furnish constant amusement. 

A Wigwam . 

For boys who like to " play Injun" in the back yard, here 
are some ideas for tepees and wigwams that may easily be 
followed out at a very small cost for the poles and canvas. 

Canvas can be bought at a dry-goods or country store, 
and poles may be cut in the woods; or one-and-one-half- 
inch-square spruce sticks may be purchased at a lumber- 
yard and dressed round with a draw-knife and plane. When 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

cutting poles for a wigwam it is necessary to select very 
straight ones, preferably of pine, for crooked or knotty 
poles are unsightly and make an uneven exterior. 

The real Indian tepee is made from buckskin or other 
strong hides lashed together with rawhide thongs; but as 
this covering is beyond the reach of the average boy, the 
next best thing to use will be heavy twilled canvas or stout 
unbleached muslin that can be had for about ten cents a 
yard. The regulation wigwam is perhaps the most satis- 
factory kind of a tent, for it is roomy, will shed water, and 
it is about the only tent in which a fire may be built without 
smoking out the occupants. The tepee will not blow over 
if properly set up and stayed with an anchor-rope, and it is 
easily taken down and moved from place to place. 

For a party of three or four boys the wigwam shown in 
Fig. I will afford ample room, and it is not so large as to 
be unhandy. Select thirteen straight poles, not more than 
two inches thick at the bottom, and clear them from knots 
and projecting twigs. They should be ten feet long and 
pointed at the bottom so as to stick into the ground for a 
few inches. Tie three of them together eighteen inches 
from the top, and form a tripod on a circle five feet and six 
inches in diameter. Place the other poles against this tri- 
pod to form a cone, as shown in Fig. 2, and lash them fast 
at the top with a piece of clothes-line. From unbleached 
muslin or sail-cloth (light weight) make a cover as shown 
in the diagram Fig. 3. Lay out a sixteen-foot circle on a 
barn floor, or the grass, with chalk, and indicate an eigh- 
teen-inch circle at the middle. Around the outer circle or 
periphery measure off nineteen feet and chalk -mark the 

4 




/=?g4 



A WIGWAM 

5 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

space. From these marks to the centre of the circle draw 
straight lines, and within these limits the area of the wig- 
wam cover will be shown. It should correspond with the 
plan drawing in Fig. 3. The muslin should be three feet 
wide and with it this area can be covered in any direction, 
sewing the strips together to make the large sheet; or the 
muslin may be cut in strips three feet wide at one end and 
tapering to a few inches at the other, as shown in Fig. 4, 
the seams running up and down the canvas instead of across 
it. The outer edge of the canvas cover should be bound 
with clothes-line or cotton rope, sewed securely with waxed 
white string; then thirteen short ropes should be passed 
over this rope so that the canvas may be lashed fast to the 
foot of each pole to hold the cover in place. The doorway 
flaps are formed by stopping the lacings three feet up from 
the ground. With short ropes and rings sewed to the cover 
the flaps may be tied back, as shown in Fig. i . 

The real Indian wigwams are decorated with all sorts of 
emblems, for even the uncivilized red men had their crests 
and totems, and the boys who make these tepees can easily 
invent some mark which will distinguish their tent abode 
from all others. The ornamentation should be done with 
paint and should be carried out before the canvas covering 
is stretched over the poles. 

A Square Tepee 

A square tepee, as shown in the illustration Fig. 5, is 
another form of rear-yard tent that is easily made. Twelve 
poles are selected and four of them are lashed fast and spread 

6 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



apart on a square of six feet. Two poles are added to each 
side and all are lashed together at the head. Four pieces 
of canvas or heavy unbleached muslin are cut and made on 
the plan as shown in Fig. 6, the strips being cut from goods 
a yard wide. These pieces are six feet long, one foot wide 




at the head, and six feet at the foot. The seam through the 
middle of one piece is left open for three feet to form the 
doorway flaps; then the four sides are securely sewed to- 
gether with waxed white string. This cover is slipped 
about the pole frame, tied at the front, and held down 
by means of short ropes that are lashed fast to the foot of 
each pole. The cover is decorated with paint to give it 
the Indian appearance, and when the flaps are tied back it 
is easy to go into and come out of the tepee. 

A Ridge-pole Tepee 

A ridge-pole tepee is shown in Fig. 7, and is a very 
easy and simple one to make, for it is of one piece of 

7 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

canvas with two flaps sewed at each side to form the 
ends. 

One ridge and two upright poles make the framework, 
and they are held in place by the canvas, which is drawn and 
lashed fast to stakes driven in the ground, as may be seen 
in the drawing. The ridge-pole is eight feet long, one and 



/v<? 7 




a half inches thick, and four 
inches wide. Two inches 
from either end a half -inch 
hole is bored to receive the 
iron pins that are driven 
/v^ 8 in the ends of the uprights 
as shown at Fig. 8 A and 
B. The upright poles are eight feet long, and when set 
one foot of the lower end should be embedded in the 

8 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



ground. The sides are in one piece of muslin made by- 
sewing widths of it together. The sheet measures seventeen 
feet long and eight feet wide; and when stretched over the 
ridge-pole and fastened down at both sides an inverted 
shape will be the result. It is ten feet across at the bottom, 
seven feet high, and eight feet long at each side. For the 
back it will be necessary to make a triangular piece of can- 
vas the right size to fit the opening, or two flaps may be 
cut, divided at the middle, and tied back, or laced, to close 
the tent. The apron or part enclosure at the front is 
formed from pieces of canvas two feet wide sewed along 
the edges and caught together at the middle over the 
opening. 

Ten pegs eighteen inches long and two inches wide are 
cut from hard -wood as shown at Fig. 8 C. These are 
driven in the ground at an angle and ropes attached to the 
lower edges of the canvas sidings are lashed fast to them. 
This tepee is long enough to swing a hammock from pole 
to pole, and on a warm summer night makes an ideal place 
for sleeping out-of-doors. The covering, like that of the 
other wigwams, may be decorated with Indian emblems, 
and if a party of boys are going to camp in the back yard 
their tepees can be inscribed with different crests and to- 
tems to indicate individual ownership. 

A Fotintain 

A practicable rear-yard fountain may be made with a 
brick or concrete basin, an underground pipe -line and an 
overflow, thus insuring a continuous flow and discharge. 

9 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

In Fig. 9 the basin, pipe, and trap are shown with the 
inlet pipe fitted for a hose connection. Three plates of 
different sizes are used for the traps, and if care is taken in 
drilling the holes an opening may be made in the bottom 
of each plate so that it will slip over the stand-pipe. Tin 
or enamelled iron plates will answer the purpose very well 
for a while, but the tin plates would soon rust unless fre- 
quently painted. The white earthern-ware plates will pre- 
sent the best appearance and will last indefinitely. 

Dig a circular hole thirty inches across and twelve inches 
deep, and with cement and sand make a hard bottom or bed. 
Use a trowel and smooth the cement so that the top surface 
is smooth. With some bricks form a circle, as shown at 
Fig. lo. With a cold-chisel and mallet cut away the edges 
of two bricks so that the overflow pipe will pass between 
them, as shown at A in Fig. lo. 

The pipe should be half or three-quarter inch galvanized 
water-pipe, and it may be purchased at a plumber's shop for 
a few cents a foot. 

The supply -pipe is three-eighths-inch galvanized water- 
pipe, and should be set in place under the concrete bottom 
of the basin before the cement is poured in. The upright, 
or stand-pipe, is thirty-six inches high from the elbow, B 
(Fig. lo), in the ground. The cross-pipe leading out is 
eighteen or twenty inches long, and the short upright that 
comes to the surface outside the basin is fifteen inches long 
and is to be provided with a hose connection so that a 
garden hose may be attached to it. The stand-pipe in the 
basin and the cross-piece should be embedded in the cement 
concrete, and when it is dry and hardens around the pipes 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



it will hold them securely in place. When the circle of 
bricks is complete, fill in the crevices with equal parts of 
cement and sand mixed into a mortar. This will lock the 
bricks together; then plaster the cement all around the in- 
side of the circle and some at the outside so as to make a 
water-tight basin. 

Earth is to be put back into the hole outside the circle of 
bricks and the sod replaced, so that grass will grow right 




up to the edge of the basin rim, which should project an 
inch or two above the surface of the ground. 

From a plumber or gas-fitter obtain some old pieces of 
brass tubing an inch in diameter, cut one of them fourteen 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

inches long, and slip it down over the stand-pipe. The 
lowest and largest plate rests on this. Next cut a piece 
of tubing nine inches long and slip it over the pipe. The 
second plate rests on this and the top plate is supported by 
a piece of the tubing cut six inches in length and slipped 
over the pipe. If porcelain dishes are used, make the first 
hole in them as follows: 

Obtain a stout, three-inch steel wire nail, a block of wood 
about three inches square, having an inch hole bored at one 
end, and a small hard- wood mallet. Place a plate on the 
block of wood, inverted so that its centre will be exacth^^ 
over the hole. Place the point of the nail on the plate, 
taking care to get it in the centre ; then give it a sharp, quick 
blow with the mallet. If this is properly done a small 
piece of the porcelain will be driven out, but remember that 
if the blow is not properly centred it will break the plate. 
For this reason it is best to practise first on a broken plate ; 
or if the porcelain seems to be impossible, the painted tin or 
enamelled plates will have to answer. A perforated por- 
celain plate is shown in Fig. 1 1 A. The ragged hole can be 
smoothed out or chafed away with an old rat-tail or half- 
round file. A brass reducer and a gas pillar should be 
screwed fast to the top of the stand-pipe so that a jet of 
water about a quarter of an inch in diameter will shoot 
above the pipe. 

If a little wooden ball is to dance at the top of the jet, 
a half -circular basket will be necessary to catch the ball 
when it falls, so that the stream of water can pick it up 
again. This is made from brass or galvanized wire, and 
where the wires cross bind the joint with fine copper wire 

12 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



and solder the joints so as to make them rigid. A small 
brass ferrule or short piece of pipe should be soldered to the 
bottom of this basket, so as to hold it in place when slipped 
over the pillar or nozzle. This basket and its shape is more 
clearly shown in Fig. ii B. It should be six or eight inches 
in diameter and three inches deep, with the wires close 
enough together to prevent the ball from falling through. 

If it is not possible to get the bricks of which to form the 
basin, a concrete wall can be made instead. Dig the hole 
as before described; then construct a cylinder of wood 
twenty-four inches in diameter and eight inches thick. 
Floor over the bottom of the hole with concrete, after the 
stand-pipe is in place, and around the edge of the concrete 
floor and outside the cylinder embed some small stones 
so that the filling will hold fast. This is shown at c c in 
Fig. 12. Slip the wooden cylinder over the stand-pipe so 
that it will occupy the position as shown in Fig. 12. Make 
a mixture of coarse sand or gravel and cement, half arid half, 
and add a shovel or two of small stones, preferably cracked, 
such as are used for the under-dressing to macadam roads. 
Tamp this down in the opening in the ground so as to fill 
up the ditch or moat as shown at Fig. 13. The outside of 
the cylinder should be thoroughly coated with lard or some 
heavy grease before the concrete is poured in, so that the 
wood will not absorb the moisture from the concrete and 
cause it to bind in the hole. As a precaution it would be 
well to make the bottom of the cylinder an inch smaller in 
diameter than the top, so that it may draw out easily after 
the concrete has set. The two slots shown in the top of 
the cylinder are hand holes to grasp it by. 

13 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

With nearly clear cement, having but a small portion of 
sand added, finish the inside of the basin and the rim with 
a trowel so as to give it a smooth and even surface. The 
force of water may be regulated with a faucet. 



An Aqtiaritim 

There is nothing difficult in the construction of a glass- 
and-wood aquarium like the one shown in Fig. 14, and the 
boy who is handy with tools and careful in joining wood- 




work accurately will be able to knock it together in short 
order. The best size will be twenty -four inches long, fifteen 
wide, and ten inches high. This will be generous enough in 
proportions to accommodate a dozen or so of small fish, some 
baby eels, crawfish, a turtle or two, and some water-lizards. 

14 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



From a carpenter obtain a piece of white-wood twenty- 
seven inches long, seventeen inches wide, and one and a half 
inches in thickness. This must be of selected stock, hard 
and free from knots or sappy places. Cut four battens of 
hard-wood two inches wide, an inch thick, and fifteen inches 
long, and with brass screws attach them securely to the 
underside of the board to prevent its warping from the 
action of the water. Obtain a stick one inch and a half 
square and four feet long; cut this into lengths of eleven 
inches each and also prepare one eight feet long, two inches 
wide, and seven-eighths of an inch thick. With a groove- 
plane having a quarter - inch blade cut into the square 
stick on two sides as shown in Fig. 15 A. The edge of the 
stick between the two grooves may then be planed off so 
that an end view of the stick will appear as shown at Fig. 
15 B. A groove should be cut at one side of the long stick 
three-eighths of an inch from one edge so that when turned 
groove side down an end will appear as shown at C in Fig. 
15. This stick is to be cut in lengths fifteen and twenty- 
four inches respectively for top rails. 

In the four corners of the white-wood board cut a hole 
with bit and chisel three-quarters of an inch square as 
shown at Fig. 16. Saw the bottom of each square stick 
so as to cut away about a quarter of an inch of wood on 
each side as shown at the lower part of A in Fig. 1 5 . This 
is made so that the uprights will fit snugly into the holes 
and the shoulder formed by the saw-cuts will rest on the 
top of the base board. 

With straight rule and pencil mark parallel lines connect- 
ing each hole as shown at D D in Fig. 16. These lines should 

15 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

correspond in position with the grooves cut in the posts; 
then remove the posts and with grooving-plane or chisel and 
mallet cut the grooves about three-eighths of an inch in 
depth. The glass sides fit into these grooves, and the top 
rails made from the long stick cap the upper edges of the 
glass sides. The ends should be lapped and screwed down 
to the top of the corner-posts to bind the glass and wood- 
work in one compact framework. 

Before any of the wood-work is put together give it three 
successive thin coats of black asphaltum varnish, which can 
be purchased at a paint or hardware store. Each hole and 
the plug ends of the corner-posts are to be coated with thick 
asphaltum varnish, and when wet with the varnish the posts 
are to be driven into the holes. Screws passed in through 
the sides of the base board will hold them securely in place. 

From a glazier or hardware store purchase two panes of 
double-thick glass ten by fourteen inches, and two measur- 
ing ten by twenty-two inches. Give the grooves a thick coat 
of the asphaltum varnish, slide the glass down into the 
grooves, and screw the top rails in place. When the glass 
is in place and before the top rails are put on, the glass 
should stand a quarter of an inch above the top of the 
corner-posts. When the rails are laid in place the top edge 
of the glass should be caught by the groove in the rails, 
otherwise the glass, having no support at the top, would 
bow out on account of the pressure of water, and either cause 
the glass to break or the joints to leak. Press the glass sides 
against the outer edges of the grooves and lightly insert 
some wooden wedges into the grooves to hold the glass in 
place temporarily for a day or two or until the varnish sets. 

i6 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



Then fill the open spaces in the grooves with a putty made 
from whiting and asphaltum varnish. This you will have 
to make yourself with a putty -knife on a plate of glass, 
marble, or slate, for you cannot purchase it. Common 
putty is not hard enough and will not dry for months, while 
the special putty will set quickly and dry hard in a few 
days. When all the work is completed about the aquarium 
allow it to stand for at least a week, in which time the putty 
and varnish will harden. 

At a paint store purchase some marine paint, also known 
as " copper paint," and give the wood- work two or three thin 
successive coats, allowing it to dry for a few days between 
each coat. Scrape the paint from the glass where it may 
have been smeared, and the complete aquarium is ready for 
water and stock. 

Another way in which to construct the framework is to 
take a curtain-pole one and a half inches in diameter, and at 
a planing-mill have a quarter section sawed out, as shown 
at Fig. 17, so that an end rim will appear as shown at B. 
The part of the wood-work the buzz-saw cuts away will 
correspond with the grooves cut in the square sticks. 

Four holes one and a half inches in diameter, or the same 
size as the stick, are bored half -way -through the bottom- 
board of the aquarium and V-shaped channels are cut in the 
board connecting the holes (Fig. 18). The wood-work is 
treated in a manner similar to that already described, and 
the corner - posts are held in place by long brass screws 
driven up through the bottom and into the lower ends of 
the posts. The top rail is made the same as shown in Fig. 
15 C, and the glass is set as described. At the corner-posts 

17 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 




the lap is well smeared with asphaltum varnish and putty 
and the angle strips are screwed fast to the posts as indicated 
at A in Fig. 17. While this is somewhat easier to make it 

18 



BACK- YARD PLEASURES 



is not quite so substantial for large tanks as the square post 
and channels. 

When catching the stock for the aquarium it is best to 
use a drop-net. This is made of two iron hoops fifteen or 
twenty inches in diameter and held one below the other 
with cord as shown at Fig. 19. Mosquito-netting is drawn 
across the lower hoop and sewed fast; then a band of it is 
sewed about both hoops to close in the sides, to form a 
cylinder open at the top only. Some bait is placed in the 
bottom of the net, and then it is lowered into the water so 
that the top hoop drops down and the whole net lies flat on 
the bottom of a pond. When a number of fish are around 
the bait a quick haul will raise the upper ring ; then pull the 
net up with the fish captives within the cylinder. You can 
quickly select the ones you want, and these may be placed 
in a pail partly filled with water. 

For turtles, crawfish, and lizards a scap-net will be neces- 
sary. This may be made from stout wire, a broom-handle, 
and some netting. The ring may be almost any size, from 
six to twelve inches in diameter, the ends being sharpened 
with a file and turned so that they may be driven into the 
end of the stick, which should first be bound with wire to 
prevent it from splitting. The bag of mosquito-netting is 
made on the hoop and sewed fast, as shown at Fig. 20. 
When changing the water in the aquarium it is not necessary 
to empty it all out. A siphon rnade of a small rubber tube 
will answer very well to drain off a portion. The part of 
the tube in the tank should be held close to the bottom so 
as to suck up any dirt or sediment that may be there. 
Good ventilation, light, healthy aquatic plants, clean sand, 
3 19 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

and a proper proportion of fish to the volume of water are 
absolutely necessary to the successful aquarium. A few 
tadpoles and snails are advantageous in an aquarium, as they 
consume decaying vegetable matter and help to prevent the 
formation of algag on the glass. 

For the aquarium large enough to contain them, some 
artificial rockeries may be made from cement, gravel, and 
stones, as shown in the illustrations of the concrete rockeries 
Figs. 21 and 22. They should be made with openings 
beneath for the fish to swim through, and pockets should 
be made at the top to hold sand and the roots of aquatic 
plants. The rockeries should have a good fiat base so as to 
rest securely on the bottom of the aquarium. Always have 
plenty of pebbles and river -sand at the bottom of the 
aquarium to make the fishes feel at home. 

How to Manage an Aqtjariam 

It is generally supposed that it is necessary to change 
the water in an aquarium at least once a day; but that 
is not the case. The true principle on which an aquarium 
should be conducted is not to change the water at all, but 
so to aerate and refresh the original supply as to maintain 
it always in a pure and perfect state. There are several 
means by which this may be done. The healthy growth 
of plants is very important, and active and brisk contact 
with the air of the atmosphere will greatly freshen the 
water. Motion in the water is absolutely necessary. In 
large aquaria this is obtained by an arrangement of tanks 
into which the water is pumped, and from which it flows 

20 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



rapidly, circulating through the tanks where the fish live. 
In its passage through the air it absorbs considerable oxy- 
gen, without which no fish can live. Fish placed in water 
that has been boiled die in a very few minutes. 

The first thing to be done in the formation of a fresh- 
water aquarium is to start your plants in proper soil at 
the bottom of your tank, fill the tank with water, and leave 
it undisturbed until the plants begin to grow and the little 
bubbles of oxygen are to be seen rising to the surface of the 
water. 

Choose your plants from such as you may collect from 
rivers or brooks or ponds anywhere in the country. Plant 
them, and then cover the surface of the soil with pebbles 
and small bits of rock, or anything that is suitable and in 
keeping with the rest of your arrangements. Never put 
sea-shells into a fresh-water aquarium. 

Now fill your tank with water poured through a siphon 
or funnel, being very careful not to disturb the soil or the 
roots of the plants. You should have some clean river-sand 
in the bottom of your tank, and your pieces of rock should 
be so arranged as to form little caves and hiding-places for 
your fish. It will take perhaps two weeks to get your tank 
into a proper condition for fish to live in. Every bit of 
dead or decaying vegetation should be carefully removed. 
Keep your tank shaded from the heat of the sun, and ex- 
pose it to the bright light only once in a while. 

In order to manage your aquarium properly you will re- 
quire a few simple tools. A little hand-net that can be 
bought for a few cents, or made for even less out of a bit 
of wire and a small piece of mosquito-netting, is useful for 

21 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

catching the fish or shells without putting your hands into 
the water. A pair of wooden forceps, like a glove-stretcher, 
will be found most convenient for nipping off bits of decay- 
ing plants or for catching objects that may have acci- 
dentally fallen into the water. Glass tubes of various 
sizes are also useful. If you want to catch any small ob- 
ject in the water with the tube, place the tube in the wa- 
ter with your finger over the hole in the top. Until your 
finger is removed the tube will remain full of air. Place it 
over the bit of refuse or whatever it is you want to catch, 
remove your finger, and the water will rush in, carrying the 
object with it into the tube, which should then be closed 
at the upper end by placing your finger over it as before. 
A glass or hard-rubber syringe is necessary with which to 
aerate the water thoroughly at least once a day, and often- 
er if possible. Fill the syringe, hold it high above the 
tank, and then squirt the water back again. 

If a green film begins to gather on the side of the tank 
that is most exposed to the light, it should be cleaned away 
every day, and the sides of the glass polished carefully. A 
small piece of clean sponge tied on the end of a stick will 
answer the purpose very well, and, if used daily, you can 
keep the glass clear with very little trouble; but if the 
scum is neglected and left to accumulate, you will find it 
almost impossible to remove it from the glass even by hard 
scouring. 

It is best to have only small fish in your aquarium, and 
for this reason trout are not desirable. Although very 
beautiful and intelligent, they grow so rapidly that they 
are likely to. become in a short time too unwieldy for your 

22 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



tank. Goldfish and minnows are very good, and the com- 
mon Httle sunfish or "pumpkin-seed" is excellent. 

You must keep careful watch over the fish in your aqua- 
rium, and if any one of them appears to be sick he should 
be removed at once, very gently, with the hand-net, and 
placed in fresh water, where he will often recover. If, 
however, the little sufferer is doomed to die, it is better not 
to run the risk of his doing so among his healthy compan- 
ions. It is best always to have a hospital for your sickly 
pets, and as soon as one of them, whether a fish or a bird 
or any animal, shows signs of ill health, he should be taken 
away from the others and placed by himself. 

Certain varieties of snails live well in fresh water, and 
will be found useful in clearing away the green film that is 
almost certain to collect on the side of the glass ; but you 
must be careful or they will devour your plants as well; 
and if your tank is very small it is hardly worth while to 
try to keep them. 

Water-beetles and water-spiders also thrive well, and 
their habits are most interesting to watch; but water- 
beetles fly by night, and unless you are careful to cover 
your tank you are likely to discover some morning that a 
number of your tenants have taken French leave. 

You must be careful not to overstock your aquarium, for 
your fish will not thrive if they are overcrowded. Remem- 
ber, also, that heat and dust are fatal to your pets. The 
water must be kept clean and cool at all times, and all 
foreign matter and every particle of decaying vegetation 
should be removed immediately. 

To manage an aquarium successfully, no matter on how 

23 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

small a scale, requires a good deal of care and time, but you 
will find it time well spent, and the pleasure and knowl- 
edge the study of your pets will give you will be an ample 
return for the time you spend on them. 

A Merry-go-rotind 

A great deal of fun may be had with a merry-go-round in 
the rear yard, and while it may not be run by an engine 
or its motion accompanied by an organ, hand power will 
turn the table and music can be made with an old accordion 
or concertina. The only difficult thing about the whole 
affair is the bevelled gear, the shaft and crank ; but if an old 
reaper can be found at a blacksmith -shop the difficulty is 
solved, for a pair of bevelled gears are on every reaping- 
machine. Of course a machine-shop or foundry would con- 
tain gearing of various sizes, and a five and twelve inch 
gear wheel will answer the purpose very well. 

In the practical back -yard merry-go-round showil in 
Fig. 23 the revolving post is four inches square and may be 
of spruce or white-wood planed on all sides and provided 
with a ferrule at both ends. These may be taken from old 
buggy - wheels, and will prevent the wood from splitting 
when the pins are driven in. The lower cross-beams a a in 
Fig. 24 are of spruce, eight feet long and two by three 
inches. The beams b b are six feet and six inches long, and 
on these four the cross-plates are made fast that hold the 
top or deck planks. The six cross-timbers are of spruce, 
one by four inches, and are from two to eight feet in length, 
according to their location. The beam plan (Fig. 24) 

24 




/*V6^f- 



A MERRY-GO-ROUND 
25 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

shows quite clearly how these supporting beams are ar- 
ranged. They are held together with steel wire-nails driven 
down from the upper beams diagonally into the lower ones. 

The longest beams are securely spiked to the revolving 
shaft, and in securing them in place take care to see that 
they are perfectly true, so that the outer edge of the plat- 
form will not dip and rise as it revolves. Drive a three- 
quarter-inch rod in the top of the shaft and another one in 
the bottom having a bevelled point as shown at Fig. 25. 
At the lower end of the shaft arrange the larger gear wheel 
and pin it fast so that it is fixed to the shaft and will not 
move. 

An iron base-plate with an upright arm welded to it will 
hold the shaft and the smaller gear, which is to be arranged 
the right height to lock in with the teeth of the large gear. 
This plate is shown in Fig. 26; and through the four holes 
at the corners long screws are passed to bolt the plate se- 
curely to a wooden base, which last is set in the ground as 
shown at A in Fig. 27. The shaft B, to the end of which 
the small gear wheel is made fast, extends out beyond one 
of the upright posts, and at the outer end a crank and 
handle C are made fast, so that by hand-power the platform 
and shaft may be revolved. 

Construct an overhead framework of six by two inch 
spruce beams twelve feet long, and set them in the ground 
twelve feet apart, bracing the uprights well, braced at both 
sides with angle beams as shown in Fig. 23. The top bar 
should be well braced also with one or two angle brackets, 
to prevent the frame from rocking. If the ground props are 
not strong enough to properly brace the frame, attach heavy 

26 



BACK-YARD PLEASURES 



wires to the corners and carry them out in both directions, 
making the ends fast to stout pieces of joist embedded in 
the ground. 

At the middle of the top cross-bar arrange a plate of wood 
eighteen inches long with a groove cut in it in which the pin 
at the top of the square shaft may revolve. This plate 
should be attached to the bar with lag screws, so that it can 
be removed when it is necessary to unstep the shaft and 
platform. The outer line of deck planking is shown in the 
deck plan (Fig. 28), and inside of these boards as many others 
can be laid down as desired; or the entire frame may be all 
decked over, leaving a small space near the middle so as to 
reach the gear and lower pin in order to grease them. Where 
the shaft passes one of the uprights of the supporting 
frame an iron strap will hold it in place against the wood, 
and this bearing will require lubrication from, time to 
time. 

Four stout wire guys must be drawn from the top of the 
shaft and fastened at the outer edge of the platform to one 
of the beam ends. The anchorage should be made with 
very stout, strong screw-eyes, and to make it easier to draw 
the wires taut four small turn-buckles should be purchased 
at a hardware store and made fast to the lower ends of the 
wires, the hook on the buckle being caught in the large 
screw-eyes. 

Seats may be made from boxes and nailed to the deck, 
and as a safeguard to prevent falling from the turn-table 
ropes should be attached to the stanchion wires and to the 
shaft as shown in Fig. 23. 

It would be well to paint all the wood-work in order to 

,27 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

give it a good appearance, and all the iron parts should be 
coated with asphaltum varnish to prevent rusting. 

If the gears are properly adjusted and there is no friction 
at the bearings, it will not be a difficult matter to move 
the table with several children occupying the seats. The 
bevelled point bearing at the bottom rests in a drilled de- 
pression in the plate, and the friction there is reduced to a 
minimum, while at the top the friction will be slight if the 
weight is properly distributed on the turn-table. 



Chapter II 

PET SHELTERS 

MOST boys are interested in pet animals, and at one time 
tor another possess them. Cats and dogs are domes- 
ticated and will always stay about the house if they are 
properly cared for and treated kindly, but rabbits, guinea- 
pigs, squirrels, monkeys, and reptiles often forget where they 
belong and will wander away and neglect to come back. 

For this reason it will be necessary to build houses and 
hutches for them, and so safeguard the doorways and 
screenings that they cannot escape. 

It is not possible, of course, to give a lengthy description 
of pet shelters, since there are so many different kinds in 
use by boys all over the world ; but the illustrations on these 
pages will give some ideas for the American and English 
boys to follow in making houses, hutches, and retreats to 
shelter their pet animals, birds, and reptiles. 

In speaking of reptiles, that does not necessarily mean 
snakes, for under this classification come the horned-toads, 
lizards, turtles, and many of the beautiful tropical creeping 
and crawling things that in warm countries take the place 
of the white mice, rabbits, guinea-pigs, and canary-birds of 
our northern climes. 

Some boys have a natural aptitude for carpenter-work, 

29 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

but there may be ideas in these illustrations and the accom- 
panying descriptions that will be helpful both to them, and 
to the boy who has as yet to make his first kennel or pigeon- 
cote. 

Martin Boxes 

In the early' spring, when the birds return to the north, 
the martins are among the first to appear, and long before 
the swallows, whom they closely resemble, begin to nest they 
have hatched their young and have taken their departure 
from- the southland. 

They are cold- weather birds, fly rapidly, and do not stay 
long in one place. They seldom build their nests in the 
branches of trees, but prefer to find a hole in a tree-trunk, 
and there build a nest safe from the wind and storm. The 
sand-martin burrows a hole in the side of a bank, but never 
builds a nest in the chimneys as do his brother and sister 
swallows. The martin, when sitting on her eggs, likes a 
dark and sheltered place, and for that reason she takes 
kindly to a martin box in which a hole is made sufficiently 
large for her to fly in and out of. 

In Fig. I a small keg is supported at the top of a post 
and braced at the bottom with two bracket pieces. A hole 
two inches and a half in diameter is made at each end of the 
keg, through which the martins can enter, and the post to 
which the keg is fastened is cut away at the upper end as 
shown in Fig. 2. 

In one side of the bilge of the keg a hole is cut as large as 
the post is square or round, and at the other side a corre- 
sponding hole is cut the size of the upper part of the post. 

30 



PET SHELTERS 



The keg is then dropped down over the post so that the 
shoulder, formed by cutting away the wood, will rest under 
the upper side of the keg, in which the smaller square hole 
has been cut. 

If a round post is employed, the upper part should be cut 
square so as to prevent the wind from blowing the keg 
round the post. A cross-stick fastened at the top of the 
post will form a perch on which the birds may alight. 

A box with a peaked roof and three divisions, intended to 
accommodate three families of the birds, is shown in Fig. 3. 




fVG / 



/=7g 2. 



31 




OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

An ordinary box may be cut and rearranged with a pitched 
roof, an inner floor, and the three divisions. A small hole 
is bored at each side of the box and a round stick passed 
through it, so that six or eight inches of the wood will 
project at either side to serve as perches. Another perch 
can be arranged at the top of the box, and this bird-house 
is then securely fastened to the upper end of a post and 
braced there with bracket-pieces nailed both to the bottom 
of the box and to the post. 

The divisions in the box should be not less than six inches 
square and six or eight inches high. If the box used be 
square it will probably be an easier job to divide it into 
four divisions for as many families. Each compartment, of 
course, must be provided with its separate hole for ingress 
and egress. 

Bird Shelters 

Birds do not always seek the shelter of trees in a storm; 
they will often gather about the house and under ^ barn 
eaves and piazza sheds, where they are protected from the 
rain and the drippings from wet leaves. They like a dry shel- 
ter, and structures suitable for their needs can be knocked 
together from very simple material. In the illustration of a 
bird shelter (Fig. 4), a canvas or heavy muslin roof is sup- 
ported on two uprights, and under it five perches are ar- 
ranged from side to side, upon which a great many birds 
can rest. 

The uprights are one and a half by three inches, and the 
strips forming the Y braces are two inches wide and seven- 
eighths of an inch thick. 

32 



PET SHELTERS 



The perches are three-quarter-inch dowels three feet long. 
If they cannot be had at a carpenter's shop or a hardware 
store, some small scantling may be planed nearly round to 
answer the same purpose. Where the perches are at- 
tached to the uprights and Y pieces, holes are bored half- 
way through the wood. Into these the ends of the perches 
are driven and nailed fast. 

In Fig. 5 the canvas is left off from one side so that the 
constructional parts of the upright, braces, and roof strips 




may be seen. When the wood- work is put together the roof 
should be covered with canvas, heavy unbleached muslin, 
or a piece of oil-cloth, and tacked all around the edges. 
To make the barrel - hoop shelter, shown in Fig. 6, a 

33 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

flat barrel-hoop is loosely covered with canvas or muslin 
tacked all around the edge. In the top of a post a wooden 
peg is driven, and over this the middle of the canvas disk 
is slipped, having first made a hole in the fabric through 
which the peg can pass. Four wires are attached to the 
hoop at equal distances apart, and the lower ends caught 
through staples or screw-eyes driven in the post a foot or 
two from the top. Two or three holes should be made 
through the post in which round perches may be driven. 

A shelter for the side of a house or barn can be made 
from a piece of board, two bracket strips, and three dowels 
or round sticks to act as perches. 

The board should be three feet long and fifteen inches wide. 
Where it is attached to the house or barn a strip is first 
attached, and the inner edge of the board is then nailed 
fast to the strip. The two bracket strips that support the 
roof at the outer edge should be twenty-four inches long, 
one inch thick, and two inches wide. Three or four sets of 
holes are bored in the strips to receive the ends of the 
dowels or perches. 

Pigeon-cotes 

For the ordinary pigeons that fly about the house and 
barn some open cotes are shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, but 
for the more valuable pigeons a large wire enclosure should 
be made and the lodges placed within them, unless the birds 
are very tame and will not leave the premises. 

In Fig. 7 A, a cote with three holes is shown that is easily 
made from thin boards. It should measure thirty inches 
long, nine inches wide, and twelve inches high at the back, 

34 



PET SHELTERS 



while at the front the board with the holes cut in it should 
be nine inches wide, with the holes five inches high and four 
inches wide. 

The wood is put together as shown in Fig. 9, and the roof 
boards overhang the ends and front for an inch or two. 
The upper ends of the two divisions need not extend beyond 
the height of the front board, and this open space will in- 




/v<? /o 



sure good ventilation. Sticks an inch square are made fast 
under the ends of the cote, and on the projecting ends a 

35 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

ledge three inches wide is fastened upon which the pigeons 
may alight. 

The cote shown in Fig. 7 B is made from a shoe -case 
divided as shown in Fig. 10; on each floor the entrances are 
alternated from front to sides. Outside each entrance a 
ledge three inches wide is supported on brackets, and under 
the pitched roof the ninth compartment is arranged. 

The large pigeon-cote (Fig. 8) is a more pretentious affair 
to make and will tax the young carpenter's skill. This cote 
can be made a very attractive pigeon shelter if it is carefully 
put together and nicely painted. 

It is thirty-two inches long, twenty-four high to the eaves 
or thirty-four to the peak, and twelve inches deep. It is 
divided as shown in Fig. 11, and the ledges are supported 
with brackets cut from half -inch wood with a compass saw. 
From the eaves to the peak the front of the cote may be 
shingled, and above the peak a perch is erected. 

This cote may be attached to the side of a barn or sup- 
ported on stout uprights embedded securely in the ground. 

Dog-kennels 

When building a dog -kennel the important features to 
bear in mind are to make it strong, weather-proof, and large 
enough for a good-sized dog to turn around in comfortably. 
A poorly built kennel soon falls apart, and if it is not weath- 
er-proof rain will get in on the dog, and dogs do not like to 
get wet while sleeping any more than boys. Moreover, 
if the kennel is not large enough it is cramped and stuffy, 
and, while the dog cannot say so, he resents it, and in his 

36 



PET SHELTERS 



own dog way of reasoning feels that he is imposed upon in 
being housed in such small quarters. The dimensions of a 
kennel must be naturally governed by the size of the dog 
who is to inhabit it ; but for one of medium size, such as a 
setter or collie, a kennel with a peaked roof, similar to the 
one shown in Fig. 12, should be three feet long, two feet 
wide, two feet high at the sides, and three feet high from 
the ground to the peak or ridge-pole. 

The floor frame is the first thing in constructing a kennel, 
and it should be made of two by three inch spruce, thirty- 
four inches long and twenty- two inches wide, with lap joints 
at the corners as shown in Fig. 13. On this the flooring of 
tongue and grooved boards is laid and nailed down. 

From three matched boards eight inches wide make the 
front and back to the kennel as shown in Fig. 14. The 
lower ends of the boards are nailed to the floor frame, and 
where they are sawed off to form the peak a batten is 
placed at the inside and made fast with clinch nails driven 
into it from the outside through the boards. 

The nail heads in the front of Fig. 14 will show the loca- 
tion of one batten, and the other can clearly be seen at the 
inside of the back, where the clinched nail ends are shown. 

Beginning at the bottom and working up, the sides are 
laid on. Always place the tongue up and the groove down 
when using matched boards in a horizontal position, as 
otherwise the rain and moisture will work into the groove 
and cause the wood to decay. 

A ridge-pole is nailed between the front and back at the 
peak, and to this the upper ends of the roof boards are 
fastened. 

37 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



In the front a hole large enough for a dog to pass through 
is cut with a compass saw, and above it, near the peak, one 
large and three smaller holes are bored, as shown in Fig. 14, 
and the wood cut away between the holes, as shown in 
Fig. 12. This is for ventilation, for dogs as well as human 



n^i2. 




/=/G/^ 




^G/S 




F/G /3 




beings require plenty of fresh air. Another hole at the top 
of the back board will allow free circulation of air across the 
top of the kennel. 

Two or three good coats of paint will finish the wood- 

38 



PET SHELTERS 



work, and with the addition of a chain fastened to a staple- 
plate this dog-kennel will be ready for occupancy. 

This dog-hut in Fig 1 5 is built against the side of a house 
or barn, and is forty inches long, twenty-four wide, and 
twenty-eight inches high at the outer side, and thirty-six 
inches high next the house or barn. The floor frame is 
thirty-eight inches long, twenty- two inches wide, and made 
like Fig. 13. Stakes are driven in the ground, one under 
each corner, and to these the floor frame is spiked fast. 

When constructed against a building a strip is fastened 
to the siding of the building on which to nail the roof 
boards and to the upper edges of the front, back, and side 
boards battens are made fast to strengthen the hut. 

The wall or side of the building may, in such a ''lean-to,'* 
be used as a fourth side of the dog-hut. A ventilator is cut 
in the upper corner of the back and at the front a swinging 
door can be hung in the doorway or opening. This is a 
weather-door and is made an inch narrower on each side 
than the width of the doorway. It is hung on screw-eyes 
and staples so that it will act as a flap and can be pushed 
in or out by the dog when entering or leaving the hut. In 
the winter-time, and when it is raining, this door will keep 
out snow and water and also protect a dog from strong 
winds. 

Gtiinea-pig Houses 

When making houses or huts for guinea-pigs it will be 
necessary to make at least- one-third of the coop dark, or 
nearly so, as the little pigs like darkened places in which to 
spend a portion of their time. 

39 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The illustration of the guinea-pig house in Fig. i6 shows 
how this can be done by partitioning off a portion of the house 
and making ventilating holes or small windows near the top. 

A substantial double - decked house, similar to the one 
shown in the illustration, should be thirty-six inches long, 



/yC/6 





twenty-four inches wide, twenty-four inches high to the 
roof eaves and thirty-two inches to the peak. A small dry- 
goods case can be adapted to this use, and the floor nailed in 
mi 'way between the top and bottom. 

The darkened compartment is fourteen inches wide and 
extends up on both floors. Holes three by four inches 
made in the sidings will permit the pigs to have access to 
the open and closed compartments. A door at one side is 
made high enough to open into both upper and lower com- 
partments; this is swung on hinges, and for safety it may 
be provided with a hasp and padlock. 

40 



PET SHELTERS 



The open compartments are to be screened with square- 
mesh galvanized wire cloth substantially heavy to prevent 
the pigs escaping or dogs from entering and molesting them. 
This wire cloth can be purchased at a hardware store and 
attached to the wood with galvanized wire staples. 

A guinea-pig house should not be placed on the ground, 
but attached to the tops of posts from twenty -four to 
thirty-six inches above the ground. Locust posts about 
four inches in diameter are the best for this purpose as they 
are tough and will not decay in the ground as quickly as 
other wood. 

The guinea-pig hut shown in Fig. 1 7 has but one floor and 
it is much longer than the house, the floor plan being forty- 
two inches long and eighteen inches wide. The ends are 
fifteen inches high at the front, twelve at the back, and 
eighteen at the peak. The dark compartment is fifteen 
inches wide and the door at the front is six by eight inches, 
hung on hinges and fastened with a hasp and padlock. 

At the front the roof extends over for six inches to shade 
the open compartment, and at both ends and the back it 
overhangs about two inches. 

This hut is held up on sticks implanted in the ground, and 
braced so that the wind will not blow it over. 

Chicken-coops 

In^the spring-time when little chickens are hatched, and 
it is not possible to let the hen wander about at random to 
scratch up the garden or the flower beds, some small coops 
and shelters should be constructed and placed in a corner of 

41 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

the back yard, or in some other vacant space, where the 
little chicks can run without being molested by the larger 
fowls, as they would be if put in the big chicken-coop or 
runway. 

The easiest coop to make is shown in the illustration of 
the young chicken shelter (Fig. i8). It consists of a pitched 
roof mounted on three boards six inches high. This shelter 
may be three feet wide and two feet deep, and from the 
ground to the peak the distance is twenty-four inches. 








Slats are nailed across the front to prevent the hen from 
getting out, although not so close as to prevent the chicks 
from squeezing through. A coat or two of paint will im- 
prove the appearance of this shelter, and each mother-hen 
should be provided with a separate coop for her family. 

In the illustration of the young chicken coop (Fig. 19) a 
little more care is taken with the construction, and a canopy 
fly is arranged at the front to keep off rain and to shade the 
interior of the coop. This coop is three feet long, two feet 
wide, and thirty inches high at the front, but at the back it 
need not be more than twenty-four inches high. 

It may be constructed from boards with matched edges, or 
perhaps from a dry-goods case, and if it is raised from the 

42 



PET SHELTERS 



ground an inch or two, and a few holes bored in the bottom, 
it will insure a dry floor. The cross rail at the bottom to 
which the upright slats are nailed is three inches above 
the floor ; and if made two inches wide and the slats one inch 
and a half in width, they will be heavy enough to resist dogs 
and cats, if they should try to disturb mother-hen and her 
brood. 

Outriggers may be nailed at each end so that about fifteen 
inches of the wood projects beyond the sides. A strip of 
lath should be fastened between the ends, and light canvas 
or muslin may then be tacked fast to the roof and to the 
strip to serve as an awning. 

Rabbit-hatches 

Among animal pets rabbits seem to be general favorites 
all over the country, perhaps because they are such beautiful 
and harmless little creatures and so prettily marked. They 
are worthy of a comfortable home, and the boy who is 
fortunate enough to have some good rabbits should take 
pleasure in building a substantial hutch in which they can 
live and thrive. 

In Fig. 20 a double-floored rabbit-hutch is shown, and 
if it is made large enough quite a family of rabbits can live 
in it, the larger ones down-stairs and the smaller ones up- 
stairs. An inclined plane will make it possible for the 
friends and relatives to visit each other. 

This hutch should be from four to five feet long, twenty- 
four inches wide, and twenty-four inches high. The second 
floor is arranged so that it will be midway between the top 

43 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

and bottom, and at the rear an opening five inches wide 
and ten inches long will receive an inclined board, across 
which short sticks have been nailed to prevent the rabbits 
slipping when going up or coming down the stairs. 




At one end a compartment is made eighteen inches wide, 
and provided with a door six inches wide hung on hinges and 
fastened with a hasp and lock. Openings five inches wide 
and six inches high are cut in the side of this compartment, 
so that the rabbits may enter it from either floor. A drop 
front, on hinges, will permit the hutch to be partially closed 
in very severe weather, but when it is pleasant the front 
should be raised and propped up with a stick, in the ends of 
which hooks are arranged that will fit into screw-eyes driven 
into the lid and along the side of the compartment, as shown 
in the illustration. 

In the end of the hutch, opposite the bottom of the stair- 
way, a feeding-doorway six inches square should be cut with 

44 



PET SHELTERS 



a compass saw, and a door hung on hinges. This hutch 
should be supported on stout sticks or posts embedded in the 
groimd for at least two feet, and it should be thirty to forty 
inches above the ground. Across the open runs, galvanized 
wire cloth, with half to three-quarter inch meshes, is to be 
nailed fast with staples. With a few coats of paint on the 
outside, this hutch will present a very good appearance. 

The rabbit-house (Fig. 21) is a large, one-story structure, 
in which a family of rabbits" can live very comfortably. It 
is thirty-six inches long, twenty-four inches wide, eighteen 
inches high at the back and twenty- two at the front. At 
one side a compartment is made twelve inches wide, and at 
the outer side a door seven by nine inches is hung and 
fastened with a lock. This house is supported on four posts, 
two or three feet above the ground, and when painted it 
should look very homelike to a rabbit's eyes. 

A house of this same description, but larger, may be made 
for a monkey, a fox, an opossum, a raccoon, or even for bear 
cubs. For the latter, bars will have to be used instead of the 
wire cloth, for the bears would soon tear away the lighter 
material. 

Squirrel Cages 

For squirrels, chipmunks, and white rats very good cages 
can be made from wire cloth, tin boxes, and wood, and in the 
illustration of a squirrel cage (Fig. 22) a simple house is 
shown. 

To make it, a base-board is cut twenty-eight inches long, 
fifteen inches wide, and one inch and a quarter thick. Ten 
inches from one end the edges of the board are sawed off so 

45 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



that the end will be six inches wide. Eleven inches from 
the small end a square piece of wood is mounted on the base- 
board to form the back to the square compartment. This 
is covered with tin on the inside, so that the rodents cannot 
gnaw the wood away at the edges or about the hole that 
leads into the cylinder. 

A wedge-shaped piece of wood, six inches broad at the 
bottom and two inches at the top, is attached to the small 
end of the base-board, .and from the top of this piece to the 
top of the back -board a connection strip is nailed fast. 



/YO^S 





From thick wire or quarter-inch iron rod a wicket is made 
and driven into holes at the wide end of the board. It 
should be the same size as the back -board, and is placed 
there to support the wire cloth of which the cage is made. 

Small holes are made in the base-board with an awl, so 
that the ends of the wire cloth will slip into them. When 
the edges of the cloth are tacked to the back -board and 
wired to the wicket, the ends in the holes will remain in 
place. 

A wire door made from the cloth can be hung on hinges, 
which should be soJdered to the galvanized cloth. With 

46 



PET SHELTERS 



straight wires or wire cloth an exercising cylinder can be 
made with wooden or tin ends. It is supported between the 
back of the cage and the wedge-shaped upright. Tacks 
driven around the hole that leads into the cylinder will pre- 
vent the occupants from gnawing away the edges of the 
wood-work. 

The squirrel house (Fig. 23) is constructed in the same 
manner as the cage, but it has the advantage of a covered 
shelter at one end of the base-board. This is made from 
a tin cracker-box with the lid removed, and inverted so the 
bottom acts as the roof. In one side an oval opening is cut 
and a wire screen is fastened to it at the inside. 

The wire cylinder is seven inches in diameter and twelve 
inches long, quite large enough for two squirrels to run a 
great race at the same time. A piece of hair felt, an old 
woollen cloth, or some curled hair will be comfortable for 
the squirrels to lie on in the enclosed cage. 

Reptile Pens 

In some parts of the country pets are made of reptiles, 
and very interesting and tame ones are found among the 
lizard family. 

When making a reptile pen, care should be taken to get 
the joints tight and not have any small openings or cracks 
between boards, for snakes can get through a very small 
space, often much smaller than you would think it possible, 
judging from the size of their bodies. 

In Fig. 24, the design for a very substantial reptile pen 
is shown, and instead of fine wire screening, two heavy 

47 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



plates of glass may be used at the front of each compartment. 
This is a double pen, and one side can be used for snakes, 
while the other may harbor some lizards or small land-turtles. 

This pen is forty-eight inches long, twenty-four deep, and 
twenty-six high. The bottom rail at the front is four inches 
wide, and the top and upright ones are two inches wide. 

The wood from which the pen is made should be tongue- 
and- grooved, and planed on both sides. It may be from 




/^7G29- 



■E 



^ 



B 



Fig. 25 

48 



PET SHELTERS 



three-quarters to one inch and a quarter thick, and narrow 
boards are preferable to wide ones. 

In the lizard compartment an upper floor is fastened in, 
having an opening at one side where an inclined board, with 
cross sticks attached, is arranged so that the animals may 
climb up and down. 

The snake pen should have a portion of a small tree fast- 
ened at top and bottom, on which the reptiles may climb 
and coil. The more short branches it has, the better, for it 
will then give the snakes a more satisfactory perch to move 
about on. At the bottom of each end asmall trap doorway 
four inches high and six inches long is cut, and protected by 
a stout wire-cloth door, hinged and locked. These trap- 
doors are for the purpose of removing refuse or for feeding 
the reptiles ; or a smaller opening at the back, near the top, 
and about two inches in diameter, can be used as a food 
door. 

A ventilator is cut in the roof twelve inches long and six 
inches wide, so that each compartment gets the advantage 
of an opening about six inches square. Over this a roof is 
made three inches above the main roof, and with stout wire 
cloth the opening is covered first at the under side. Then 
the strip of wire cloth, four inches w4de, is tacked around the 
inside of the opening and to a board the same size as the 
hole, or six by twelve inches, attached to the under side of 
the cap. 

This arrangement is more clearly shown in Fig. 25, which 
is a sectional view, A being the cap, B the board to which 
the upper edge of the wire cloth is attached, C the wire 
cloth, and D the main roof to the pen. The line E represents 

49 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

the wire cloth tacked to the under side of the opening, to 
prevent the reptiles crawling up and over the partition. 

At the lower end of the partition an opening four inches 
square may be made and fitted with a wire-netting door that 
can be raised and lowered by a rod that extends through the 
cap of the ventilator. One or two staples driven over the 
rod at the inside of the reptile pen will prevent the rod from 
bending, and the wire door should slide on runners provided 
with a rabbet at the inside, so that it cannot be dislodged. 

With this construction, the reptiles may be allowed to 
mingle if they are peaceable, but if the snakes molest the 
small lizards they must be driven into their own side and the 




trap-door closed. With the outer doors at the bottom and 
the ventilator at the top, a free circulation of air can be had ; 
and if the floor is kept well sanded and clean, this reptile pen 
will make a comfortable home for a collection of such pets. 
The lizard run shown in Fig. 26 is made from a wooden 

50 



PET SHELTERS 



shoe-case open at the front, and on top of which a smaller 
box is mounted and connected with the lower one by means 
of an inclined board and an opening, through which the 
lizards can crawl. A ventilator is cut in the upper box and 
covered with wire netting; and in the lower box, at one end, 
a doorway is made, four by six inches, and protected by a 
heavy wire screen door on hinges. 

A raised platform and ladder is made at one end of the 
large box, and in the open space one or two branches should 
be made fast on which the lizards can climb. "^ 

The top of the box should be enclosed with wire netting, 
as shown in the illustration. A doorway three inches square 
cut in the side of the upper box will allow access to this 
roof -garden. 

A few coats of dark-green paint will finish these reptile 
pens on the outside, and they should be enamelled cream 
color, buff, or light green on the inside, so that the reptiles 
may be seen against the light background. 



Chapter III 

SUMMER-HOUSES AND PERGOLAS 

A Simple Stimmef -house 

FOR the back yard, or in the fields and woods near the 
house, a summer-house or pergola will be found a com- 
fortable nook in which to spend many pleasant hours. 

A simple summer-house is shown in the illustration, 
Fig. I. This is made of four posts, has a shingled roof, and 
is provided with seats on three sides. Obtain four spruce 
posts four inches square, or four tree-trunks from four to six 
inches in diameter. Plant them in the ground, forming a 
square of six feet. The posts should be embedded for at 
least two feet, and, to insure them from decaying too quick- 
ly, tar or pitch the bottoms, or give them two or three good 
coats of asphaltum varnish. The posts should stand seven 
feet above groimd. Across the tops of the posts nail two- 
by-four-inch joist, with lap joints as shown at A in Fig. 
2. With four more pieces of joist form the roof rafters, 
cutting a notch in each joist where it fits over the corners 
at the head of the posts. At the peak, the joist are bevelled 
where they meet. 

Join two of the pieces at first ; then lap the remaining two 
on both sides of them, nailing all the ends securely with steel 
wire nails. Put one middle rafter in on each side between 

52 



SUMMER-HOUSES AND PERGOLAS 

eaves to the roof. It would not look well to have the roof 
the corner ones; then nail shingle lath or scantling on the 
four sides to receive the shingles. The rafters should over- 
hang the top frame about twelve inches, so as to form the 




f^^cl 



stop on a line with the posts. Begin at the bottom and at 
the middle of each side to shingle the roof, working out to 
the corners and up through the middle to the peak. To 
prevent the roof leaking at the corners, bevel the shingles at 
one side, then lap those on the other side over them and bevel 
the edges. Some builders lay a strip of tin flashing over the 
edges as well as in the valleys of a roof to insure a perfectly 
water-tight joint. Use galvanized nails. To hide the rough 
rafters and shingle lath, the inside of the roof may be lined 
with narrow, matched boards ; then the wood-work may be 
given a coat or two of paint in some desirable color. 



A Back-yard Pergola 

A back-yard pergola is constructed from two upright posts 
four inches square, a cross beam two by six inches, and eight 

53 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

joists laid across from the post bar to the top of the back 
fence. This style of pergola is particularly adapted to city 
yards and those surrounded by a board fence. In the event 
of there being no fence, the ends of the joist or roofing beams 
may bear on a two-by-six-inch cross bar that rests on two 
more posts corresponding with the front ones. 

The posts are four inches square, of spruce or any other 
available wood, and are planed on all four sides. They are 
embedded in the ground for about two feet, and, to prevent 
them from sinking or shifting, place a large, fiat stone in the 
hole on which the post will rest, and around it pack earth 
and stones instead of earth only. A lap cut in the front top 
end of the post will admit the two-by-six-inch cross beam. 
The posts are seven feet apart, and the cross beam ten feet 
long, with the ends cut as shown in Fig. 3 on page 56. The 
front end of each joist is rounded under as shown, and to 
make a more secure anchorage a notch two inches long and 
an inch deep may be cut at the under side of each joist, so 
that they will fit down over the upper edge of the cross 
beam. Make all the joints and laps fast with steel wire 
nails ; then give the wood- work a few coats of paint. 

Seats may be built in on two sides and supported with 
under braces or brackets to prop up the front edge, and a 
back-board may be nailed fast to the posts and fence. 

A Toadstool Tree Canopy 

Where there is a large tree on the place or near the house, 
a toadstool canopy (Fig. 4) may be constructed above a com- 
fortable seat. The framing of the canopy is shown in Fig. 5, 

54 



SUMMER-HOUSES AND PERGOLAS 

where the arrangement of corner rafters and braces can 
be clearly seen. The tree end of each rafter is bevelled (or 
cut on a slant) and nailed fast with steel wire nails. The 
under braces are keyed to the tree by cutting out a wedge of 
the bark, so that the lower end or point of the bracket v/ill 
fit into it. These ends are to be well nailed to the tree-trunk, 
as they are the main props to hold up the roof. Between 
the corner rafters let one rafter in on each side; then nail 
shingle lath on the top of the rafters, and to these the shingles 
are fastened. 

A seat eighteen inches wide may be built about the foot 
of the trunk and supported by two-by- three-inch joist let 
into the ground a foot or eighteen inches. Instead of shin- 
gling this roof, it may be thatched with salt hay arranged 
in flat tufts and nailed onto the lath. Begin at the lower 
edge to do this and thatch one line first; then begin on the 
end of the line above it and arrange the tufts closely side 
by side, and nail them fast. The last line at the top should 
have tar paper under it, closely fitted, and nailed to the tree 
trunk with copper tacks and painted. This will deflect the 
water and prevent it from nmning down the trunk and 
wetting the seat. 

A Rustic Pergola 

A simple but effective and useful rustic pergola is shown 
in Fig. 6. All the posts, cross-pieces, braces, and stringers 
at the top are of undressed wood, having the bark on. The 
corner posts are from four to six inches in diameter, and 
are embedded two feet in the ground. They are seven feet 
above the ground, and on top of two sets cross-stringers 

55 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

are made fast and braced with angle brackets. A sharp 
hatchet, a saw, and a hammer will be the only tools required 
for this work ; and where an angle piece is attached to a post, 
the bark and wood should be cut away on the post, so that 
the bevelled edge of the bracket will lie snugly against it. 




SUMMER-HOUSES AND PERGOLAS 

It should then be nailed fast with long steel wire nails. This 
pergola can be made of almost any size, but for one of 
moderate proportions it should measure eight feet square 
and seven feet high. Seats of smooth boards may be ar- 
ranged on three sides between posts, and wires may be run 
up and down and crosswise, on which climbing vines may 
be supported. 

A Circular Pergola 

A circular pergola will present a pleasing appearance in 
any yard. It is made from six rustic posts, six supporting 
beams, and eleven top rafters, as shown in Fig. 7. 

Tree-tnmks of the proper size and length may be cut in 
the woods, or some locust posts can be purchased at a 
lumber-yard. The bark is to be left on, and the posts are 
to be planted two feet in the ground in a circle eight feet 
in diameter. The tops of the posts should be sawed off 
so that they are all an equal distance from the ground. On 
top of them nail six pieces of joist, two by four inches, with 
the narrower side resting on the posts. 

The joist must be bevelled or mitred so that they will fit 
snugly at the posts. Spike them fast to each other and to 
the posts with large steel wire nails. The top rafters should 
be of two-by- three or two-by-four inch spruce, planed or left 
rough, and arranged equal distances apart, so that they will 
form a large circle on the supporting beams. These are to 
be nailed fast and painted if desired. Vines may be planted 
close to the posts, so that as they grow the thick mass of 
foliage will make a shady top to the pergola. 

If desired, a few seats may be arranged between the posts 

57 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

or columns, but portable seats would be more in keeping 
with this style of pergola. 

A Stimmer Shelter 

A design for a comfortable summer-house is shown in 
Fig. 8. The posts are set on an oblong, seven feet wide 
and twelve feet long. Seven or eight inch posts are planted 
in the ground, and the top rails are arranged as shown in 
Fig. 2. The rails can be of two-by-four-inch joist, and 
should be cut and neatly lapped at the ends, as shown at A 
in Fig. 2. A ridge-pole forms the centre support to this 
roof, and from it the rafters are run down to the top rails. 
Over these the shingle lath are nailed, and then the thatch- 
ing of salt hay or shingles may be laid on. A wind-speeder 
and a weather-vane may be arranged at either end of the 
roof, as shown in the drawing, and seats may be built in 
between the end posts, with a supporting rib at the middle 
and braces under the seats. There is room enough under 
this roof to swing a hammock. 



1 



Chapter IV 

WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

FROM the time of the earliest habitation of the earth, 
nature's great forces, wind and water, have been em- 
ployed to furnish power for man's uses. Wind engines and 
mills for motive power have become almost obsolete in and 
about the great cities, as they are so cumbersome and un- 
certain, but in the country they are still used to a great 
extent for pumping water, milling, and operating light 
machinery. 

Windmills have been made in a number of shapes by the 
people of different nations, and some of them are very 
picturesque, especially the Dutch wheels and those made 
in the eastern part of the United States a century or more 
ago, many of which are still working. 

Windmills will never go out of use entirely, no matter 
what cheap motive power will eventually run the world; 
for when they are once set up properly they cost nothing to 
operate, and it a wheel is well made it will last for years 
with but trifling cost for repairs. 

Windmills, weather-vanes, pinion -wheels, and wind toys 
of all descriptions have been made by boys in every age, 
and each generation goes on to invent or think of something 
new for the same old wind to play with that has toyed 

59 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

with the world's wheels for centuries. The illustrations 
and descriptions on this and the following pages will be 
found helpful in the construction of wind machinery that 
shall be both novel and practicable. 



A Pinion-wheel "Weather-vane 

The easiest sort of a pinion-wheel and weather-vane to 
construct is shown in Fig. i. It consists of a piece of stout 




tin or sheet-iron, a wooden shaft twenty inches long, and a 
fan-tail twelve inches long and seven inches wide at the rear 
end. 

Punch a small hole in the centre of a sheet of tin or iron 
not less than ten inches square, and with a lead -pencil 
compass draw a circle ten inches in diameter. Half an inch 
inside of this draw another one nine inches in diameter, as 

6q 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

indicated by the light lines in Fig. 2. One inch from the 
centre draw a third circle making it two inches in diameter ; 
then divide the disk into eight equal parts. 

With a cold chisel cut on the lines, as indicated in Fig. 2, 
and bend the metal ears as shown in drawing No. i, so that 
the corners will set back an inch from the rim. With a 
stout pair of shears cut around the outside line and free 
the wheel from the sheet of metal. 

At the front of the wheel fasten a spool with steel wire 
nails driven through the tin to act as a hub. Then give them 
both a coat or two of paint. 

Make a shaft from hard wood an inch square, and cut 
it in from one end about ten inches, as shown in Fig. 3. 
At the other end bind the wood for an inch or two with 
linen line or fine wire to prevent its splitting, and bore a 
hole in the end with an awl. Through the spool and disk, 
and into the hole in the shaft, drive a fiat-headed steel wire 
nail or a screw, three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, to 
act as the pinion on which the wheel may revolve. 

From light wood, three-eighths of an inch in thickness, 
cut a fan-tail seven inches wide at one end and two at the 
other, and, having passed it through the cut in the shaft, 
make it fast with small nails or screws. 

Balance the shaft and wheel on your finger to determine 
where to pierce the hole through which the upright shaft on 
the pole should pass ; then bore it out with bit and brace so 
that the shaft will fit snug but not tight. 

To the top of the shaft, over the hole, attach another 
spool, so as to form a longer bearing ; or a strap of metal may 
be tacked so that it will bridge up over the hole about two 

61 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

inches. In this bridge a corresponding hole may be cut, 
through which the vertical shaft or pin will pass. This is to 
hold the vane steady on the long pin of quarter-inch round 
iron driven into the top of the pole, and prevent it from 
dipping forward or backward. 

Place this vane on a shed, the end of a barn roof, or on a 
high pole where the wind has free access to it. 

A Wind-speeder 

Wind-speeders may be constructed of metal or partly of 
wood, but one that can easily be made by a boy consists 
of two sticks, four ordinary tin funnels having their ends 
stopped up with a plug of wood, and a pole, into the end of 
which a long iron pin is driven and on which the hub re- 
volves. Fig. 4. 

Two hard - wood sticks thirty inches long and three- 
quarters of an inch square are cut at the middle so that they 
will lap, and with steel nails they are attached to a hub 
three-quarters of an inch thick and three inches in diameter, 
in the centre of which a quarter-inch hole is bored. The 
end of each stick or arm is cut in to receive the ftmnels, and 
they are held in place by straps of tin passed around each 
neck and tacked fast to the top and bottom of the cross 
sticks. 

With a sharp-pointed awl or pimch a small hole is made 
through the strap and neck, and a long, slim steel nail is 
driven through both into the end of the sticks to give the 
funnels an additional purchase. 

To reduce the friction and to prevent the wood from 

62 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 




wearing away at the under side of the hub, a large flat 
washer should be attached to the wood with copper tacks 
driven closely all around the outer edge. Before the speeder 
is slipped over the upright pin, a short piece of small gas- 
pipe or tubing should be placed over it so it will rest be- 
tween the hub and the top of the pole. Two coats of white 

63 



QUT-DQQR BOOK FOR BOYS 

or light-colored paint will improve the appearance of this 
speeder. 

The Arrow Weather-vane 

Of all the weather-vanes that have ever been made, the 
balanced arrow is undoubtedly the oldest and most popular ; 
it is the universal type of its class, and, from the simple ar- 
row that a boy can whittle from a shingle to the beautifully 
gilded vane that crowns the pinnacle of some great building, 
it is everywhere in evidence. Fig. 5. 

The arrow -vane can be made any length to suit the 
height at which it may be placed, but for the house, barn, 
flag-pole, or tower not more than fifty or sixty feet high, it 
should be from twenty-four to thirty-six inches long, with 
the blade from ^ve to six inches in width. 

The most substantial vane is made in three pieces, the 
point, shaft, and blade. The shaft is made from hard wood, 
three-quarters of an inch square, in the ends of which cuts 
are made to receive a tin or sheet-metal point and blade. 
These are held in place with steel nails driven through the 
wood and clinched on the opposite side. The arrow is bal- 
anced and a hole is then made in the shaft through which 
the upright pin or rod will pass. 

A ferule or ring is driven on the upright rod to hold the 
arrow in the proper place, and below it two rods should be 
arranged at right angles, at the ends of which the letters 
N, E, S, W are soldered. These rods may be of brass or 
wood, and if the wood is used it should be of hickory or 
locust, half an inch square or round, and slit at the ends to 
receive the letters of tin or sheet metal. These latter are 

64 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

held in place with slim steel wire nails driven through the 
wood and metal. 

At the top of a flag-pole these arms should be mounted 
above a gilded ball, and they should be, if of brass or copper, 
held securely in place with wire or solder. If they are of 
iron, it would be well to have a blacksmith weld them, so 
that they will be rigid and stay in place. 

"Wooden Vanes 

In Fig. 6 some suggestions for wooden vanes are shown 
that can be followed with the scroll saw and jackknife or a 
compass saw and carving chisels. These vanes can be made 
in almost any size that will not be out of proportion to the 
building or pole they are to be mounted on. 

The fish is cut from wood five-eighths of an inch thick, and 
all around the edges the wood is bevelled so as to give the 
fish a rounded effect. The fish is balanced on the edge of a 
piece of wood to determine where the rod will pass through 
it; then with a quarter-inch bit the hole is carefully bored 
through from top to bottom. The compass-point letters 
can be made from sheet tin and supported on two cross 
sticks and a stout wire hoop from twelve to fifteen inches 
in diameter. 

The lady with the parasol is cut from wood half an inch in 
thickness. She is fifteen inches high and twelve inches wide 
across the bottom of the skirt. From the shoes to the hat^ 
a quarter-inch hole is bored entirely through the body, but 
if this be found too difficult, a staple at the top and bottom 
will answer instead. Through these staples the rod will pass. 

65 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The squirrel is made in the same manner as the lady, and 
either balanced on the rod which passes through the body 
or by means of staples driven at one side. A ring and 
washer should be provided on the rod for the bottom of the 
vane to rest on, as there would be too much friction if the 
vane rested on the top end of the pole into which the rod is 
driven. 

The bird vane is cut out and balanced the same as the 
fish, and the modelling may be carved in the wood or paint- 
ed, to give shape and character to the vane. Otherwise it 
would be but a blank piece of thin board cut in the shape 
of the outline. 

In all of these vanes it is necessary, of course, to have the 
greatest overhang on the side opposite to that facing the 
wind, otherwise they would not indicate properly. 

A "Wind-pennant 

An excellent and reliable wind indicator is shown in Fig. 
7, the illustration of the wind-pennant. It consists of a 
metal hoop on which a ftmnel-shaped silk or cotton fabric 
pennant is sewed fast, and when this latter is filled by a 
breeze it stands out, as the illustration shows, 

A pennant fifteen inches long should have a hoop five 
inches in diameter, and it can be made either from wire 
rings bent as shown in Fig. 8 A, or from sheet metal, as 
shown at Fig. 8 B. 

The sheet metal should be perforated with small holes all 
around one edge to pass the thread through, when sewing 
the fabric fast, and the edges should be smoothed so as not 

66 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

to cut the threads. If the hoop is made of wire, a ring 
should be formed at top and bottom for the upright rod to 
pass through ; but if it is of sheet metal a hole at the top and 
bottom will admit the rod. 

This pennant is very useful at the mast-head of a boat, 
and is much more satisfactory to watch than the perpetually 
bobbing flat pennant, as it does not break or fall down un- 
less it is calm, and only shifts from side to side as the wind 
blows it. 

On a flag-pole or staff above the pennant the compass 
points are arranged; and if these are made from copper or 
brass, the letters may be soldered fast to the ends of the 
arms. Where the arms cross, they are to be flattened as 
shown in Fig. 9 A, and lapped together, as shown in Fig. 9 B. 
After the hole is bored they should be bound to the upright 
rod with copper wire and soldered so they will remain in a 
fixed position that the wind cannot alter. Fig. 9 C. 

Sticks of hard wood may be substituted for the metal 
arms, and the sheet-metal letters let into saw cuts made at 
the outer ends. 

A Basket-ball Vane 

An odd wind indicator is shown in Fig. 10, illustrating a 
ball vane in a basket. It consists of a flat basket, with a 
rim six inches high, made of wire cloth with square meshes ; 
inside of this a silk or cotton covered ball of wire is placed 
and blown by the wind from one side to the other of the 
basket. Of course, the direction the wind is coming from 
is opposite to that taken by the ball. 

The basket should be twenty-four inches in diameter, six 
6 . 67 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



inches high, and supported at the top of a pole by wires at- 
tached from the upper and lower edge of the outer rim, and 
leading up and down to the pole, the ends being made fast 
to staples or screw-eyes. 

The ball, which is made of wire hoops and fastened to- 
gether with fine wires, should be from four to six inches in 






f 



/G /2i 




diameter. It is covered with silk or thin muslin sewed on 
in the same manner in which a baseball is covered with 
leather. The frame-work must be of light spring brass or 
copper wire, and where the hoops cross it would be well to 
touch the unions with solder to insure a firm joint and make 
the ball rigid. 

68 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

If the ball should blow out of the basket at any time, it 
may be necessary to lace wires across the outer rim at the 
top, so as to form a confining net- work. 

Above the basket the compass points can be arranged on 
wood or metal arms, and when complete and mounted this 
weather-vane will present a most unique appearance. 

A Merry-go-round 

A merry-go-round like the one shown in Fig. 1 1 is an in- 
teresting wind toy and pleasing to watch, as the boats keep 
sailing round and round. It is made from a child's hoople 
properly braced with cross sticks^ and mounted on a hub. 
Four fiat-boats are made and attached to the outer edge of 
the frame. When rigged with sails and placed at the top 
of a post, on a rod, the boats will keep up a continual sailing 
so long as there is any breeze. A hoople three feet in 
diameter is best for this purpose, as it gives more space be- 
tween the boats. 

Double sets of braces or cross strips are arranged inside 
the hoople, and, where they meet at the middle, laps are 
cut in the sticks so that they will fit flush, as .shown in 
Fig. 12. 

The sticks are placed seven inches apart, and are five- 
eighths of an inch square; under the lap joints a plate of 
wood nine inches square is attached by means of screws or 
steel wire nails, to strengthen the unions of the cross sticks 
as well as to make a platform, at the under side of which 
the hub is arranged. A plan of the hoople, the cross sticks, 
and the location of one boat is shown in Fig. 13. 

69 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The boats are placed so that the outer edges of the bot- 
toms rest on the top of the hoople. The inner edges rest on 
two of the cross sticks, where they are securely attached 
with long, slim screws passed up through the sticks and 
hoople and into the bottoms of the boats. 

A block of wood four or five inches square and six inches 
long is to be shaved down at one end so that it is round 
and about one inch and a half in diameter. This is attached 
to the under side of the plate, at the middle of the hoople 
frame, so that the small end projects down ; and through it 
a half -inch hole is bored. 

An iron pin half an inch in thickness and eighteen inches 
long is to be driven into the upper end of a post over which 
the hub and hoople frame will fit. The upper end of the 
iron pin is threaded and provided with two nuts. One of 
these should be screwed down tight on the other with a 
washer between to act as a lock-nut, so that the revolution 
of the merry-go-round will not tighten or loosen them when 
once adjusted. 

The boats are ten inches long and three inches wide at the 
middle, but they taper fore and aft, as shown in Fig. 13 A. 
They are cut from pine or whitewood two inches thick, and 
painted in gay colors. The masts are fifteen inches high, and 
the sails are provided with booms, gaffs, and jib-booms, also 
with rings which hold the sails close to the masts. The 
rigging is of copper wire, as the constant motion would 
soon wear out string or line and the sails would fly 
loose. 

Each boat must be in good trim to keep the motion uni- 
form, and if the sails wear out too soon, tin ones should be 

70 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

made or the muslin ones may be given a coat or two of white 
paint. Pennants at the tops of the masts will add to the 
effect. 

A "Wind Ttirbine 

The wind turbine shown in Fig. 14, on the following page, 
is made of two hooples about thirty inches in diameter, four 
cross sticks, two wire hoops, and eight V-shaped tin blades. 

The cross sticks, thirty inches long, are cut and lapped 
at the middle and attached to the edge of each hoop with 
screws or nails. The wire hoops are twenty- two inches in 
diameter, and are fastened to the cross sticks with staples. 
The plan of one hoople and the cross sticks, the wire hoop 
and the location of the blades, is shown in Fig. 15. 

The outer corners of each blade are tacked fast to both 
the upper and lower hoople, while the inner corners are 
wired fast to the stout wire hoop. The blades are made 
from tin or sheet iron twelve inches long and six inches wide, 
and, when bent in the shape of a V, the width across the 
open end should be four inches. 

The blades are depended upon to hold the upper and lower 
frames in place, and when the turbine is on the top of a post 
with a rod running through the middle of the cross sticks, 
around which it revolves, the wind will keep it spinning at a 
high speed. 

Power can be developed with this turbine, but only a very 
small percentage as compared with a windmill the entire 
surface of which is continually exposed to the breeze. In 
the turbine only two or three of the blades are effective at 
any one time. 

71 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

A Barrel-hoop Pinion-wheel 

From a flat hoop, a few pieces of tin or sheet iron, and some 
thin wood, a barrel-hoop pinion- wheel may be made similar 
to the one shown in Fig. i6. 

The barrel-hoop will measure about twenty-one inches in 
diameter, and the hub should be made five inches in diameter, 




Fig. 16 



72 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

two inches thick, and cut in, as shown in Fig. 17 A, with 
nine places to receive the small ends of the metal blades. 
The hub revolves on a pin which is driven into a block of 
wood three inches square, as shown at Fig. 17 B. A hole is 
made in the block from top to bottom, through which a half- 
inch rod will pass. The rails that support the tail are let 
into each side of the block and are securely fastened with 
screws, as shown also at Fig. 17 B. 

The fan-tails are twenty-four inches long, one inch and a 
half wide, and half an inch thick, made of ash or hickory 
that will bend easily, so as to be drawn in against the blades 
forming the tail. 

The tin blades are cut five inches wide at one end and one 
inch and a half at the other, and fastened to both the hoop 
and hub with tacks, as shown in the illustration. 

The blades forming the fan are of half -inch wood, one 
V-shaped piece and two end slats cut as shown in the illus- 
tration. They are all held in position by the two rails that 
extend back from the pinion block and two that are set at 
right angles to them, and which hold the upper and lower 
edge blades. 

This wheel may be placed at the top of a post two or three 
inches square or round, in which a half -inch iron rod or long 
pin has been driven, leaving about six or eight inches of it 
projecting above the top of the post. On this the block 
turns as the wind acts on the fan-tail. 

A Pumping Windmill 

A simple wheel, with spokes and sails, that is commonly 
employed on canal-boats and barges, and in a small way for 

73 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



raising water in a suction-pump, is shown in the illustration 
of a pumping windmill. Fig. i8. 

It consists of a hub, six spokes, a fan-tail, and a trunk or 
upright to which the wheel is attached. The hub is a hex- 




agon of six inches and six inches long, so that one spoke 
can be driven into a hole made in each side, as shown in 
Fig. 19. The spokes are three feet long, three by one inch 
and a half at the hub end, and one by one inch and a half at 
the outer end. They are driven snugly into holes in the 

74 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

hub three inches long and one inch and a half wide, and 
pinned to hold them in place. 

The hub should be made of hard wood, and it would be 
well to have a blacksmith put a thin iron band around each 
end to prevent it from splitting. The holes may be cut 
with a mortise chisel and mallet, and care must be taken 
to shape them evenly, so that the spokes will line prop- 
erly. 

Triangular pieces of twilled muslin sheeting are tacked 
to the face of each spoke, and the loose corner of each is 
caught to the next spoke end with a rope and snap. This 
makes an outlet between the leech and spoke of each space 
between spokes for the wind to pass through, thereby caus- 
ing the wheel to revolve. 

The wheel is held in place to the head of the supporting 
post by a shaft which passes through the hub and is bolted 
fast at the front of it with a nut. A blacksmith will make 
this shaft, as it is somewhat beyond a boy's ability unless he 
has had some experience in blacksmithing. It should be 
shaped as shown in Fig. 20. 

The shaft is an inch square where it passes through the 
hub, and at the front end it is threaded and provided with 
a nut and washer. At the end of the square part, A, where 
the rear of the hub will stop, a shoulder, B, should be welded 
on to hold the hub in the proper place. 

An inch beyond this square shoulder, another one, C, is 
welded on the shaft, which for the balance of its length is 
three-quarters of an inch in diameter. 

Just beyond the shoulder or collar, C, the crank is formed, 
two inches wide and three inches out from the shaft. Be- 

75 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

yond the crank another collar, C G, is welded on, and be- 
yond this the shaft should measure six inches in length. 

The total length of the shaft is fifteen inches, and all the 
collars and smooth surfaces should be dressed down with a 
file and then painted. The head to which the fan-tail is at- 
tached is made of two blocks, cut as shown in Fig. 21, and 
fastened five inches apart on the lower rails that support 
the long rails to which, in turn, the tail is attached. 




The upper ends of the blocks are cut out so as to admit 
the shaft. The collars, C, and C C, are at the inside of the 
blocks. To hold the shaft in place, straps of iron are screwed 
fast over the top of each block. 

This head rests on the top of a trunk or hollow square 

76 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

post, through which the rod passes that connects the crank 
with the piston-rod of a pump. This trunk is of three- 
quarter -inch wood and seven inches square, as shown in 
Fig. 22 A; and at the top of it a fiat iron collar, B, is screwed 
fast. 

To hold the head on and keep it in the proper place, four 
iron cleats (Fig. 2 2 C) are screwed fast to the under corners 
of the head to grip the projecting edge of the collar. This 
arrangement will hold the head stiff, but will allow it to 
move about as impelled by the wind acting on the tail. 

A little grease or vaseline should be placed on top of the 
collar, so that the head will move on it easily. The top of 
the connection rod should be attached to the crank, as 
shown in Fig. 22 D, where a strap of iron passes over the 
crank and is bolted to the top of the hard- wood rod. 

The tail is attached to the head as shown in Fig. 23, 
which is a rear view of the head block and a portion of the 
forward part of the tail. 

The tail is thirty-three inches long and twenty-four inches 
wide at the rear end, and is made of boards three-quarters 
of an inch in thickness. If the mill is to be placed over a 
pump, a platform should be erected to which the trunk may 
be braced with props, as shown in the illustration, and on 
which the lower end of the trunk may rest. 

Guy rods or wires can also be carried from the upper part 
of the trunk down to pegs driven in the ground, which will 
lend additional support and steadiness to the upright shaft. 
To start the wheel, snap the ends of the sheets to the spoke 
ends ; to stop it, unsnap the ends and furl the sails around 
the spokes, and tie them securely with a cotton cord. 

77 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



A Windmill and Tower 

Windmills, of course, can be put to many different uses 
and are generally of sufficient size to develop a considerable 
amount of power. Fig. 24 shows a windmill and tower that 





any smart boy can make of wood, an old buggy wheel, and a 
few iron fittings that a blacksmith will make at a nominal cost. 
The tower is the first thing to make, and it should be con- 
structed of four spruce sticks sixteen feet long and four inches 
square, thirty inches square at the top and seventy -two 
inches square at the base. 

78 



WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 

The deck is thirty-six inches square, and projects two inches 
over the top rails all around. The rails and cross braces are 
of spruce or pine strips four inches wide and seven-eighths 
of an inch thick, and are attached to the comer posts with 
steel wire nails. The corner posts are embedded two feet in 
the ground, leaving fourteen feet of tower above the surface. 
The rail at the bottom, attached to the four posts, is three 
feet above the ground, and, midway between this and the 
top rail under the deck, the middle rail is run around the 
posts. 

The cross braces are bevelled at the ends, so that they will 
fit snugly against the corner posts and in behind the rails, 
where they are securely nailed to both posts and rails. 

One of the posts with its binding of rails and cross braces 
is shown in Fig. 25, and this clearly illustrates how the 
imion is made. 

The posts, rails, and braces are all to be planed, so that 
they will present a good appearance when painted; and 
at one side of the tower a ladder can be made of scantling, 
and the lower end of it attached to a rail nailed to the 
comer posts a few inches above the ground. 

Across two of the rails half-way up the tow^r a board is 
nailed, to which the lower end of a trunk is made fast, if a 
wheel similar to the pumping-mill is to be used. But if a 
wooden mill is desired, it can be constructed from a buggy- 
wheel and six blades of wood, to appear as shown in the 
illustration. 

At a wagon-shop an old wheel can be had for little or 
nothing, and with a little work it may be converted into the 
frame of a windmill. 

79 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Each spoke is to be cut at an angle on one side so that 
the blades, when attached to them, will have the necessary- 
pitch to make the wind act on them. This can be seen in 
Fig. 26, which is an edge view of the wheel showing a top, 
bottom, and middle blade. 

The blades are eighteen inches long, twelve inches wide 
at the outer end, and six inches in width next the hub. 
They are three-quarters of an inch thick, and are attached to 
the spokes with screws. If it is found necessary, a wire can 
be run from the outer end of each blade to the end of the 
next spoke, to steady the blades, as shown in the illustration. 

The crank and shaft can be arranged as described for the 
pumping-mill, and a fan-tail to keep the wheel up into the 
wind is made in proportion to the size of the mill. 

All the wood-work should be painted to give it a good 
appearance. A mill of this size will develop at least quarter 
of a horse-power in a fifteen-mile breeze. 



Chapter V 

AERIAL TOYS 

The Elastic Flying-machine 

TO have a flying - machine is the dream of every boy. 
To build a large one is exceedingly difficult, but a 
small one run by a rubber band can be easily constructed. 
You will not be able to fly up to the roofs of houses and 
spires of churches, but it will furnish you much amusement, 
without the danger of a broken neck. 

I will tell you exactly how I constructed one of these 
machines, and then you can make one for yourself. The 
backbone was a knitting-needle. The wings, or more 
properly aeroplanes, were light bamboo strips (taken from 
a Japanese fan) and covered with the Japanese paper which 
is used for napkins. (Fig. i.) 

Fig. 2 shows the backbone and its parts. Cut from thin 
brass or copper a piece shaped like No. i, and bend the top 
over, as shown at No. 2. Brass suitable for this may be- 
bought at any hardware-store, or an old article made of 
proper metal may be cut up. The shell of a metallic car- 
tridge is excellent. The brass should be as thin as possible, 
to be light, and so that it may be cut with an old pair of 
shears and bent easily. First cut the piece out roughly 

81 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

with the shears, and then trim it into shape with a small 
file. Scrape that part of the metal bright and clean which 
will form the inside of the roll, and then bend it around the 
needle so that it will fit nicely and snugly. 

This must be fastened to the forward end of the back- 
bone. The best and lightest way is to braze it, as the tin- 




Fig.2 




Fig. 3 

82 



AERIAL TOYS 



smiths call it. File the polish from the end of the needle, 
and wet it with soldering fluid, which may be bought at a 
tinner's, or made by adding zinc to muriatic acid until no 
more is dissolved. Slip on the brass support just where 
you want it, and lay on a piece of solder about half the size 
of a grain of wheat. Now hold this in the flame of a candle, 
in the gas, or near a hot stove, until the solder melts. Take 
it away and let it cool, and you will find that the solder has 
run into all the cracks and joined the pieces beautifully. 
File off any excess of solder or rough ends, and you will have 
a neat and workman-like joint, as well as a very light one. 

Cut out the piece No. 3, and bend it into the shape shown 
at No. 4. In this case you Will need to file the upper surface 
of the groove bright and clean. Take off the polish from 
the other end of the needle, and then put the stern-post, as 
it may be called, in place, and hold it there by twisting a 
fine wire around it and the needle. Be careful to get both 
supports turned the same way. Then braze and finish it as 
before. 

Make the piece No. 5, and form it into the shape No. 6. 
This is fastened by brazing to the backbone, as shown in 
the lower diagram. Take a piece of another knitting-needle, 
and make a shaft like No. 7 by heating red-hot and pound- 
ing the end into a hook with a small hammer. 

Put the straight end of this shaft through the hole in the 
stern-post which was formed by bending the metal, and 
then make a shoulder on it, as follows: bend a piece of fine 
wire into a ring the size of the needle, and braze this to the 
shaft about a quarter-inch from the stern-post. This ring 
of wire keeps the shaft from slipping through the hole when 
7 ^3 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

the rubber is stretched. File a flat point on the straight 
end of the shaft. 

Next make the wings. For the ribs I used the thin bam- 
boo strips taken from a Japanese fan. The paper is pulled 
or soaked off, and the thin strips cut close to the handle. 
The front of the wings is made as in the upper diagram of 
Fig. 3. Take one of the largest and stiff est strips of the 
bamboo, find the exact middle, and lay it evenly across the 
wing-support (No. 6 in Fig. 2), which is already in place on 
the backbone. Lash it to the support with waxed sewing- 
silk. Over this piece lay two others of equal length, making 
them come together (but not lap over) just above the back- 
bone. When well secured, add three pieces of the same 
length above the two, placing them in such a way that the 
joinings shall not come over the joinings of either of the other 
pieces, and thus weaken the wings. 

The ribs are made from the bamboo strips, cut the proper 
length and lashed to the front edge. The other ends are 
fastened to a cross-rib to make them take the same curvature. 
The lower diagram of Fig. 3 shows how the ribs are spaced. 

Cover the wings with thin, strong paper. The best is 
Japanese paper, such as is used in making napkins. This 
is exceedingly light and very strong. It should be sewed, 
not gummed, as the gum makes the paper tear easily, and 
your sticky fingers spoil the whole cover very quickly. The 
paper is tough enough to be sewed, using a fine needle and 
white cotton, and you will get a neater and much more 
satisfactory job. 

Make a triangle by lashing together three pieces of bam- 
boo, two being about two inches long, and the third one 

84 



AERIAL TOYS 



inch. This triangle is lashed to the backbone just behind 
the wings, with the short side down; its position may be 
seen by a glance at the picture of the finished machine. It 
is kept rigid by running stays, made of waxed sewing-silk, 
from the lower corners to the stern-post, from the right-hand 
corner to the middle of the left wing, and from the left-hand 
corner to the middle of the right wing. 

Just in front of this triangle fasten a piece of the bamboo, 
and make two small guiding vanes or rudders. These are 
made in a similar manner to the wings. Tie threads to the 
lower corners of the wings, and then to the triangle, drawing 
them down until they have the proper angle. The guiding- 
vanes should have a greater angle than the wings — that is, 
they should be drawn farther down. 

It only remains now to make the screw and attach the 
rubber band. For the hub of the wheel you will need a 
small cork. This cork must be kept from turning on the 
end of the shaft. If the sharpened end of the shaft carrying 
the hook for the rudder was simply stuck into the cork, it 
would soon wear loose and turn easily. To make a firm 
hold for the shaft, bore a hole through the cork about a 
quarter-inch from the large end, and drive a plug of soft 
wood into this hole. The flat-pointed end of the shaft can 
now pass into the cork and be forced into the wood, being 
careful to have the end of the point parallel to the grain of 
the wood. This will give a firm hold and prevent the screw 
slipping. 

The blades of the screw are made of thin paper gummed 
on to short pieces of bamboo. Lay one of the bamboo 
spokes on a piece of thin, stiff paper, and then gum over it 

85 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

a small strip of the thin Japanese paper before referred to. 
When this is dry, cut it down to the proper shape and 
sharpen the end of the spoke. Force these spokes into the 
cork so that all the blades will turn the same way, as shown 
in the picture — i. e. , so that when the screw is turned the 
blades will all strike the air in the same manner and tend to 
force the machine forward, not so that some try to push it 
forward and some backward. 

Select a rubber band of the proper size — such a one as will 
stretch the length of the backbone easily and not be so 
strong that, when stretched, the backbone is bent into a 
bow. Tie this band to the forward support with a string, 
and then draw it back and slip it over the hook on the shaft. 

To wind up the machine, hold it by the backbone and turn 
the screw the wrong way until the rubber is twisted tight. 
Then hold the machine up, let go the screw, and when it is 
revolving rapidly, give it a gentle push forward. If it pitches 
head-first, draw down the wings; if tail-first, let up the 
wings or turn the screw the other way. If the wheel does 
not revolve rapidly cut off part of the blades or use a stronger 
rubber. Some little adjustment of the kind is usually re- 
quired before the thing moves properly. 

A contrivance of this sort should be very light. The one 
before me has wings two feet from tip to tip, and it weighs 
when complete — ^backbone, wings, rubber, screw, etc. — only 
one-third of an ounce. 

Self-acting Aerial Car 

Here is an idea for a mechanical toy to be used either on 
a kite-string or a cord stretched from a flag-pole in the yard 

86 



AERIAL TOYS 



or a handy tree. The only condition is that the lower end 
of the cord is directly against the wind. The elevation at 
which the car can run will depend on the strength of the 
wind and sail area of the machine. The only wood used 
is the lightest and driest pine that can be procured. The 
carriage is made entirely of one-half by one-quarter inch 
wood, and is composed of two strips, fourteen inches long, 
placed one inch apart. The two guiders are two inches 
from each end, and have a small screw-eye on the lower ex- 
tremity, through which the cord is passed. On the upper 
side of the carriage, exactly in the centre, are screwed two 
eyes, which should measure a little over a half -inch in diam- 
eter of the inside of their circle. Through these is passed 
the spar of the sail, allowing enough space to insure easy 
turning, as the spar acts as an axis on which the sail turns 
when on its downward trip. This spar is at right angles 
with the carriage. Two upright sticks measuring twenty 
inches, and the same dimensions as the material used for 
the construction of the carriage, are next added. These 
should be slightly pointed at both ends, and a cross-bar at 
the top of these uprights securely fastened gives additional 
strength. The balancing-bar is made of three-eighths by 
three-eighths inch pine, tapering at the lower end, and is ten 
inches in length, and fastened to the carriage by two strips 
of wood' — five by one -quarter by one -eighth inch. The 
wheels are formed as follows: Take a piece of one-eighth 
inch pine, which should be at least three inches wide. On 
this place a strip of wood, we will say, for instance, ten by 
one - quarter by one - half inch. By driving a small wire 
nail through both pieces of wood, and inserting a sharp 

87 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



knife-blade through the upper piece of wood, and turn- 
ing (the upper piece) slowly from left to right, you will 
find you can cut a perfect circle in the lower piece of wood. 
The wheels are formed by this process. It takes four pieces 
of stiff card-board and two of wood to make the wheels for 
the carriage. The diameter of the wooden wheel is one and 




Fig. 4 

one-half inches, while the card-board disks are two and one- 
quarter inches. The wheels in the draught are a trifle smaller, 
but by experiments it is found that the above-sized wheel 
makes faster time. You will see that after cutting out your 
disks the hole made by the wire nail is exactly in the centre. 
Run a small wire nail through the three disks, placing the 
wooden disk in the centre and the card-board ones on each 

2>^ 



AERIAL TOYS 



side (this makes three disks for each wheel). Put some glue 
on touching surface, and clinch the three together with pins 
or wire brads. The place where these nails go is shown by 
the spots on side draught of the wheel. The axle-tree is 
made of oak, and at the extremities a piece of stout wire is 
inserted, which extends one-eighth of an inch beyond the 
wood of the axle-tree. The hardest axle-tree is one made 
from the shafts of an old clock. Take particular care that 
the wheels run very true, as the success of the machine 
depends to a great extent upon this. 

From the lower extremity of the balancing-rod hangs a 
weight. The easiest way to make this weight is to take a 
small bag, and fill it with sand until the machine balances 
(the sail in horizontal position). Having progressed thus 
far in the construction of the machine, turn the sail in a 
horizontal position, and attach a cord from one side of the 
cross-bar to a small grooved wheel at the aft end of the 
carriage. From the screw-eye at lower extremity of the 
balancing-bar is attached a small rubber band; when 
stretched it will reach within three-quarters of an inch of 
the small wheel at the aft end of the carriage. It will be 
found, after the cord and rubber band have been joined, 
that upon letting go the perpendicular bars the sail will turn 
in a horizontal position. At the forward end of the carriage 
is a catch, to which is fastened a ring. The catch comes in 
contact with a block (previously placed three-quarters up 
the string). The detail drawings show the formation and 
working of the catch. Fig. 4. 

The sail is made of light muslin, and extends in the form 
of a pair of wings, the cloth only reaching from the outside 

89 




go 



AfiRIAL TOYS 



of the uprights to the ends of the spar, leaving a free space 
in the centre for the sail to pass through the carriage. The 
parachute is a small Chinese umbrella (pick out one that 
opens easily), and can be bought for a few cents. A small 
weight is attached to the handle with a few feet of cord. 
We will say that now you have completed the machine — 
you have a kite flying; rim the string through the two 
guiders, place the two wheels of the carriage upon the kite- 
string, set the sail perpendicular, and fasten the catch with 
the cord. A stop-block has been previously placed on the 
cord twenty feet from the kite; now attach the parachute 
(Chinese -umbrella). The force of the wind acting on the 
sail forces the machine up the incline of the kite-string at a 
rapid rate, skyward, until it reaches the block, which throws 
off the catch. The sail swings back to a horizontal position, 
letting the parachute drop. The sail being folded and pre- 
senting no resistance to the wind, the force of gravitation 
acting on the weight of the machine causes it to descend 
the kite-cord quickly, and return to the original starting- 
point of its flight. See Fig. 5, a side and end view, and 
Fig. 6, the parachute and the car on its return. 

Aerial Boat-sailing 

Study with care the accompanying plans. The mate- 
rials are one-half by one-quarter-inch pine, free from knots, 
ten common brass rings three-quarters of an inch in di- 
ameter, two round-headed brass screws one inch in length, 
two fiat -headed ones of the same dimensions, two small 
screw-hooks, and eight assorted brass screw-eyes, there be- 

91 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 




ing two of each size. Now that we have the material for 
the frames, we will begin with Fig. 7, which shows the 
sail and sheer plan. The frame is made of six pieces of 
wood. The top piece is exactly two feet in length. The 
two uprights which hold the wheels are each one foot and 

92 



AERIAL TOYS 



one inch long. The two angle pieces are one foot nine inches 
each. The lower horizontal strip measures two feet three 
and one-half inches, and is joined to the two angle strips by 
means of a screw-eye and screw at each extremity. Now 
cut a strip of pine, making it exactly three feet in length. 
Set it on the frame in an upright position, allowing a half- 
inch clearance from the upper horizontal piece. It should 
be eleven inches from one of the angle pieces at the lower 
end. Round the upper part above the horizontal strip; it 
should be brought to a taper at the upper end. This forms 
the mast. The lower part is uniform, and allows the weight 
to be moved up and down to insure a correct balance, which 
is regulated according to the force of the wind. The weight 
is made of one-and-a-half -inch lead pipe, and is two inches 
in length. A round plug of pine is driven in the centre of 
the lead pipe, and a hole is bored in the centre of the plug to 
fit the balancing-bar. 

One of the screw-eyes is inserted through the piece of 
lead pipe, and by this means the weight can be elevated or 
brought down the shaft and held firmly in the required 
place, which will depend on the force of the w^ind. In 
regard to the wheels. Fig. 8 shows the simplest con- 
structed. They are made in three parts. Take two of the 
largest-sized wooden button moulds and a piece of thin 
board (cut in a circle) smaller than the button moulds. We 
will say, for instance, the button moulds are one and one- 
half inches in diameter, and the centre piece of pine is one 
inch in diameter and one-eighth of an inch thick. The way 
to get a true circle on this soft pine is to take the one-eighth- 
inch wood and measure on a separate piece of pine one-half 

93 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

inch, drive in a small wire nail in one extreme of the previ- 
ously measured strip, and on the other extremity insert the 
point of a sharp knife. Place on the board used for centre 
of wheel, and turn in a circle from right to left several times. 
If the distance between the knife-blade and nail is one-half 
inch, the wheel cut out will be exactly one inch in diameter. 




Fig, 8 

Insert a wire nail through the two button moulds, and 
place the inch wheel in the centre, gluing it at each contact 
surface. This will give you the grooved wheel. 

The drawing (Fig. 7) indicates how this wheel is fastened 
to the frame. The wheel can be made of two card-board 
disks two and one-half inches in diameter, and one wooden 
wheel two inches in diameter placed between them. They 

94 



AERIAL TOYS 



are joined by clinched pins, shown by the circle of dots in 
Fig. 8. 

The dimensions of the sail are as follows: Main-sail — 
hoist, ten and one -half inches; gaff, eight and one -half 
inches; leech, nineteen and one -quarter inches; boom, 
fourteen and one -half inches. Jib — foot, eleven inches; 
hoist, sixteen inches — on the stay, twenty and one-quarter 
inches. The jib carries a boom, and the main-sail a gaff 
and boom. The material used for the sails is light muslin 
with hemmed edges. 

Take a long chalk-line or heavy cord, and stretch at right 
angles to the direction of the wind. If the wind is from the 
north, the cord must reach east and west. Each extremity 
of the cord must be the same height from the ground, and 
can be attached from tree to tree, or from an upper-story 
window to a house near by. 

When the boat reaches the extremity of the cord the 
operator at that end of the cord turns it, and starts it on 
the return journey. 

If the cord is strung between two houses you will find 
the boat will sail back and forth, except when the wind is 
dead ahead or a few points either way. 

A ^'High-flycr'' 

To make the "flyer" you will need a piece of thin sheet 
tin, zinc, or iron, that may be purchased from a tinsmith 
for a few cents; and for the engine a linen-thread spool, a 
piece of hard- wood stick, and a few steel wire nails will be 
required. 

95 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

To begin with, obtain an empty linen-thread spool having 
a smooth hole through it, and in one end drive four one-inch 
steel- wire nails at regular distances apart, so as to form the 
corners of a perfect square ; drive the nails in half-way, then 
file the heads off, and the spool will appear like Fig. 9. 
Next get a round hard-wood stick seven inches long, and 
around it, two inches from one end, make a deep cut with 
your knife. From this cut to the end of the stick shave the 
wood away so it will look like Fig. 11. 

These two parts will complete the engine, and the next 
thing to make will be the flyer. Thin sheet-zinc will be 
found the best to make it of; and having obtained a piece, 
mark on it with a compass a circle five inches in diameter; 
mark two lines across this circle from edge to edge, at right 
angles, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 14. 

From a piece of stiff paper cut a pattern in the form of 
one of the ears shown in Fig. 14. Lay this pattern on the 
zinc so that one of the lines will be in the centre of it, and 
mark the shape on the zinc ; mark the other three ears in a 
similar manner, and then with a stout pair of shears cut out 
the flyer. 

In the centre of it make a hole large enough for the small 
end of the stick to pass through it, and around it make four 
small holes at the centre of each ear, to correspond with the 
pins on the spool. 

The flyer will then fit over the stick and pins and lay fiat 
on top of the spool; bend its ears with your fingers so they 
appear like the propeller-blades of a steamboat, or like a 
windmill, and it will then be ready to fly. Fig. 10. 

When bending the ears they must be arranged so that the 

96 




f^=^ 



Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 




Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14 



A " HIGH-FLYER 

97 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

edge that catches the wind first will be inclined upward, as 
otherwise the flyer, instead of flying, will hug the spool tightly. 

Another style of flyer is shown in Fig. 1 2 , and is made of 
a circular disk of zinc four inches in diameter. 

Make the five holes in the centre fit over the stick and 
pins. When all the places have been cut, bend the ears 
down as shown in Fig. 13, and when flying it turn it upside- 
down, letting the ears project upward. 

To put the flyer in action, take the stick in your left hand, 
and over the small end of it place the spool, against which 
put your thumb to keep it from slipping. Wind strong cord 
around the spool, to the end of which a button is fastened to 
keep the cord from slipping through your fingers ; on top 
of the spool place the flyer, and give the string a vigorous 
pull, at the same time releasing the spool with your thumb, 
and the centrifugal force will cause the flyer to revolve rap- 
idly, shoot upward, and sail to a height of fifty or a hundred 
feet in the air, slowly descending as the revolutions diminish. 

Larger flyers can be made in a similar manner; and to 
make a very large one, plant a post in the ground, having its 
upper end reduced to form a shoulder, as explained for the 
small stick. Get a round piece of wood several inches in 
diameter, and arrange four very stout steel- wire nails in the 
top of it. Make a tin or iron flyer twelve or fifteen inches in 
diameter, and use a piece of small clothes-line or cotton line 
to spin it with. 

To operate it, wind the spool with the rope, and have some 
one under it to keep it from slipping. When you are ready to 
pull the rope, place the flyer on the pins, and as the spool is re- 
leased give the rope a quick, strong pull, and the flyer will rise. 

. 98 



Part II 
AFIELD 

Lora 



Chapter VI 

COASTERS, SKEES, AND SNOW-SHOES 

ALL real boys welcome the approach of the winter sea- 
/ison with its glorious opportunities for sport on the 
snow and ice. Toboggans, double-runners, skees, and snow- 
shoes — the very words make the blood tingle in one's veins, 
and happy is the boy whose home is in the Northern climes 
where there is real winter for at least four months out of the 
year. 

Nowadays it is possible to purchase almost everything 
for winter sports, but the boy who is handy with tools and 
of an inventive turn of mind will take more pleasure in con- 
structing his own things than in buying them out of a shop. 

Very few boys would care to make their own skates, as 
the modern steel-clamp skates are superior in lightness and 
durability to anything he could construct ; but the various 
varieties of sleds, coasters, and snow-shoes are quite within 
the measure of his abilities, and their making will fill most 
pleasurably the leisure hours after school and on Saturdays. 

All the cold-weather countries have their distinctive and 
peculiar forms of winter amusements. Tobogganing and 
snow-shoeing are particularly popular in Canada; skeeing 
is the national sport of Norway. But it is the American 
boy who has reduced coasting to an exact science, and the 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Yankee bob-sleds and ''jumper-coasters" are now pre-emi- 
nent wherever the snow flies. To take the best wherever we 
find it is the sportsman's motto. 

Toboggans 

There is no more enjoyable winter sport than toboggan- 
ing, and in many parts of America, notably Montreal, large 
and expensively constructed artificial slides are in constant 
use throughout the winter season. 

For ordinary hill - coasting most American boys prefer 
bob-sleds and coasters, but in the extreme Northern States 
and throughout Canada the plain toboggan is the favorite 
coaster. 

A boy who is at all clever with tools can make a good 
toboggan from three or four thin hickory boards, a few 
cross-battens, and some rails. For the bottom quarter-inch 
hickory should be employed, as that is strong and will bend 
easily when steamed. 

To make an eight-foot toboggan with a width of twenty 
inches, obtain the hickory boards and batten them with 
three pieces of hard -wood two inches wide and three- 
quarters of an inch thick. Make the fastenings with brass 
screws or copper rivets having the heads countersunk in 
the bottom. At the front ends rivet on a wood batten long 
enough to project two inches beyond the boards at each 
end. 

From a curtain-pole cut six pieces two inches long and 
bore a quarter-inch hole through each one from end to end. 
Cut two hickory rails three-quarters of an inch square and 

102 



COASTERS, SKEES, AND SNOW-SHOES. 

plane off the sharp corners ; then with copper or iron rods, 
to act as long rivets, attach the rails to the toboggan so 
that they are separated from the battens by means of the 
wooden blocks, as shown in the illustration of the plain 
toboggan. Fig. i. 

At both ends of the rod-rivets place washers or burrs to 
rivet on, as otherwise the rivet would pull through the wood, 
tearing the hole larger and at the same time making the 




103 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

anchorage insecure. Cut notches in the projecting ends of 
the front stick as shown at the right side of Fig. 2, so that 
ropes can be lashed fast to the stick as shown at the left 
side of Fig. 2. 

Steam the boards between the front end and the first 
batten, or pour boiling hot water over both sides of the 
boards; then bend the wood up and with the ropes as a 
help to hold the boards in place continue the wetting and 
bending until the proper curve has been gained, as shown 
in the illustration. Lash the ropes fast, and when the wood 
is dry sand-paper it smooth and give it several good coats 
of varnish. 

A sled-toboggan (Fig. 3) is made from two hickory boards 
eight feet long and a quarter of an inch in thickness. If the 
toboggan is to be twenty-two inches wide each runner 
should be several inches wide. 

Three hard -wood bridges twenty -two inches long and 
four inches high are cut, as shown in Fig. 4, and attached 
to the runners with screws (Fig. 3). They support a seat 
eight inches wide which is screwed down to the top of the 
bridges. 

In front of the first bridge and behind the last one short 
bracket-braces are attached to prevent the bridges from 
rocking, and these as well as the bridges can be cut from 
wood about an inch and a half in thickness. 

The front ends of the boards are attached to a batten, 
and by steaming the boards may be curved up as shown 
and held in place with a stanchion-rope lashed fast to the 
batten and to the front bridge. A supporting bridge should 
be used to give it additional power. Fig. 3. 

104 



COASTERS, SKEES, AND SNOW-SHOES 

When the varnish wears off the bottom give it another 
coat, as the smooth, hard finish helps the toboggan to 
slide easily over the snow. 

A Rocker-coaster 

A very good coasting-sled is shown in the illustration of 
a rocker-coaster (Fig. 5), and for short hills a sled of this 
sort will prove very fast and easy to steer. 

It is from four to five feet long, twenty incheis broad, 
and seven inches high at the middle. The lower edge of 
each runner is curved from end to end with a long, sweeping 
line, and it is grooved to receive a round runner of steel, 
which a blacksmith will make and attach. 

The frame of the coaster should be made of hard-wood 
five-eighths of an inch in thickness, and the three cross-ribs 
are one inch and a half in width and one inch in thickness. 
Laps are cut in the top edges of the sides, and the cross-ribs 
are let into them and made fast with screws. Wooden 
brackets or cleats are attached to the sides and to the under 
side of each cross-rib to strengthen the construction, and 
at both ends a piece of round curtain-pole is made fast as 
shown in Fig. 5. 

The ends of the poles are trimmed off so as to form dowel 
ends, and these fit into holes made in the ends of the sides. 

Hand-holes are cut with a bit and compass -saw at the 
ends of the sides ; a deck of half -inch wood is laid over the 
ribs and held down with screws. Have the blacksmith 
flatten the ends of each runner and bend them over so they 
will lie on top at the end of each side, 

105 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

A few good coats of paint will finish the wood-work nicely, 
and the rocker-coaster will then be ready for use. 

A Single-rtfnner Coaster 

A few years ago the boys of New England invented a new 
kind of sled and called it a single-runner coaster or jumper- 
coaster. They sit upon it, keeping their balance with the 
feet, and it is remarkable how rapidly and easily they go 
downhill on this queer-looking affair, and without the 
slightest danger of toppling over. Fig. 6. 

The coaster is very simple in construction and any boy 
can make it from pine or hard-wood, the latter being prefer- 
able as it has more body and is heavier. The runner is 
forty-two inches long, one inch and a half thick, and four 
inches high, curved at one end and cut at an angle at the 
other. The upright is of wood the same thickness and 
width, and eleven or twelve inches high, so that with the 
top board or seat and the height of the runner the coaster 
is sixteen or seventeen inches high; and for taller boys it 
can be made still higher. The seat is ten inches long and 
seven inches wide, and attached to the upright with screws, 
as shown at Fig. 7. The upright is cut from wood about 
ten inches wide, so that, with a compass-saw, a broad foot 
may be shaped at the bottom which will give a better bear- 
ing on the runner than would a narrower one. 

From wood two inches wide, make two side-plates or 
braces to run from under the seat down half-way over the 
rtmner as shown in Fig. 7. To steady the seat at the top 
of the uprights cut two angle-brackets and attach them as 

106 



COASTERS, SKEES, AND SNOW-SHOES 

shown in the figure drawing. A blacksmith will fashion a 
runner from quarter-round or thin tire iron and attach it as 
shown in the illustration. The runners can be held on with 
fiat-headed screws countersunk in the iron, and after a few 
trips the surface of the metal will be worn bright and smooth, 
insuring easy and rapid running. 

A Bob-sled 

Every boy wants a double-runner of his own, for there 
seems to be nothing quite like bobbing on a sled carrying 
from six to ten boys — enough to give it weight and a good 
impetus on its downward course. A bob-sled is not at all 
difficult to construct, and a very satisfactory and substantial 
one may be made from inexpensive materials and with the 
tools that nearly every boy possesses. Fig. 8. 

For the seat obtain a clear spruce plank ten feet long, ten 
inches wide, and one inch and a half thick, planed on both 
sides and edges. The front sled is thirty inches long and 
fourteen inches wide, with the sides five inches high. The 
rear sled is forty inches long from prow to end of runners, 
and is the same width and height as the front one. The sides 
are of hard-wood seven-eighths of an inch in thickness, and 
braced with cross-pieces of hard-wood two inches wide and 
one inch and a half thick. 

Laps are cut in the top of the sides, and with screws the 
ends of the braces are securely held in place. Under each 
cross-piece and at the sides brackets must be securely 
fastened with screws as shown at Fig. 9, to strengthen the 
sides and take some of the strain from the cross-piece fas- 

107 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



tenings. Eight inches from the rear end a stout block is set 
in the runners through which the king-bolt passes that 
fastens the seat to the sled. This is of hard-wood fourteen 
inches long, two inches and a half wide, and four inches 





high at the middle, as shown in Fig. 9. A similar block 
two inches high is attached to the under side of the plank 
and bears on the lower block. Between the two blocks and 

jo3 



COASTERS, SKEES> AND SNOW-SHOES 

on the bolt, two large, flat iron washers are placed, so that 
it will be an easy matter to turn the sled when there is a 
heavy weight on the plank. 

The head of the five-eighths-inch king-bolt should be 
embedded in the top of the block that is fast to the plank 
before it is attached, and the bolt should be provided with 
two nuts for safety. In the summer-time, when the bob is 
stored away, the forward sled can be removed by un- 
screwing the nuts from the lower end of the bolt under the 
sled. 

To steer the bob a hard -wood cross-bar piece is let into 
the runners as shown in Fig. 9. It projects six inches at 
each side, and foot-notches are cut at the rear edge as shown 
in the illustration. The rear sled is attached to the plank 
by means of a block and bolts. 

Two triangular hard- wood blocks one inch in thickness, 
with the grain running vertically, are screwed fast to the 
inside sides of the runners as shown in Fig. 10, and through 
holes in the upper end a long half -inch bolt is passed from 
side to side. This bolt fits in a groove made at the under 
side of the block that is attached to the plank; and across 
the groove in several places straps of iron are fastened as 
shown in the inverted block at Fig. 11. A hinge-joint is 
the result, and to prevent the rear sled from dropping too 
far when jumping over a bump a rope should be passed 
under the forward cross-piece and attached to a staple 
driven at the under side of the plank. 

The plank can be padded with hair from an old mattress 
and covered with a strip of carpet nailed all around the 
edges of the board. Cross-pieces screwed fast to the under 

109 



OUT-POOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

side of the plank will serve as foot-rests, and with a coat or 
two of paint this bob-sled will be ready for use. 



Skee running and jumping is one of the favorite winter 
sports in Norway and Sweden and is steadily growing in 
favor both in the Northern United States and in Canada. 
On very steep hills it is a dangerous sport, but it is perfectly 



/='/G^B 




safe to use the skees on either short hills or on long ones 
that are not too steep. Once you start you must go to the 
bottom, and a good skee-jumper should be as agile as a cat, 
for he must always land feet down when jumping. 

A skee of the right proportions should be seven feet long 
and four inches wide. Hickory, oak, or other hard-wood 
three-quarters of an inch in thickness will be the best mate- 



no 



COASTERS, SKEES. AND SNO^X^-SHOES 

rial from which to make the skees. Two or three grooves 
cut in a straight line along the entire bottom length will 
hold the skee slider on his course, as the keel does a boat. 

The skees are tapered and bent up at the front ends as 
shown in Fig. 12. This can be done by steaming and bend- 
ing until the proper pitch is obtained; but if a high curve 
is desired it would be well to attach a thong to the end and 
draw it back to the body of the skee as shown in Fig. 12 A. 

At the middle of the skee a foot-block is attached and 
provided with a toe-strap as shown in Fig. 13. This strap 
fits under the block and can be removed if necessary as a 
lap is cut at the under side of the block. 

A shorter and broader skee is shown in Fig. 12 B. This 
is safer for smaller boys to use as it is five feet long and six 
inches wide. 

Many of the Norwegian skees are beautifully carved and 
ornamented, and the boy who has some decorative ability 
can embellish the tops of his skees and varnish them all 
over to improve their appearance and make them smooth, 
so that they will slide easily. 

A skee made from a hogshead or crockery-cask stave is 
shown in Fig. 1 2 C, and a great deal of fun can be had with 
this makeshift on short hills. 

Snow-shoes 

For travelling over the snow the most widely known and 
useful appliance is the snow-shoe in one form or another. 
The Esquimau and the American Indian do all their winter 
travelling on snow-shoes, and through the Alps and in the 

III 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



snow-bound parts of Europe and Asia they are commonly 
employed as a means of locomotion from place to place. 

The long snow-shoe shown in Fig. 14 A is the one com- 
monly used by the Iroquois Indians, and it measures from 
three to four feet in length and from twelve to fifteen inches 
in width. It is usually made from one long strip of hickory 
bent while green and dried in the desired shape, then braced 
and interlaced with thongs of rawhide or deer-gut. 

The rim is usually from three-quarters to seven-eighths 
of an inch square and is rounded on the outer edges. The 
braces or spreaders are let into the inner edges of the rim 
as shown in Fig. 15 A, and are held securely in place with a 
thong passed through a hole in the end of the piece and 
wrapped around the rim as shown in Fig. 15 B. The 
spreaders are of seasoned hickory two inches wide and five- 
eighths of an inch thick. The edges are bevelled slightly, 
and near the centre line two rows of holes are made through 
which to lace the thongs. Two smaller sticks are arranged 
at each side of the broad spreaders, and the lattice weaving 
is caught around them as shown in the illustration. Some 
of the thongs are caught over the rim while others are passed 
through holes made in the edge similar to the manner in 
which a tennis racket is laced. Foot -laces are fastened at 
the front spreader to which the shoe-toes are lashed, for 
when travelling the heels should be free to lift while the ball 
of the foot and the entire snow-shoe remains flat on the 
snow. 

The shoe in the form of a tennis racket (Fig. 14 B) is the 
shape commonly used by the Esquimaux and is about thirty- 
four inches long and fifteen inches wide. It is made some- 

112 





fvG /¥ 





SNOW-SHOES 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

what similar to the Iroquois shoe but the mesh is more 

open. 

, The oval shoe (Fig. 14 C) is made from two U-shaped 

rims lashed together at the middle and provided with two 

spreaders. Two stout pieces of rawhide are laced in the 

ends, and through the middle a lacing of thongs is woven 

across between the spreaders and sides of the rim. 

These and many other forms of snow-shoes can be made 
by the boy who is interested in snow-shoe travelling. The 
wood can be procured anywhere and the rawhide thongs 
may be purchased at a hardware store. They are sold as 
belt-lacings for machinery, but they can be easily split and 
so made available for snow-shoe use. 



Chapter VII 

SAIL-SKATING AND SNOWBALL ARTILLERY 

A Skating-sail 

SAIL-SKATING is a very enjoyable means of getting over 
the ice, and with properly constructed frames and sails 
a very respectable rate of speed can be maintained. In 
using a sail the boy is the boat, and by his manipulation of 
the sheets he can go where he pleases, either before the 
wind or tacking, as in a boat. 

The skating-sail shown in Fig. i is an improvement over 
the old style of attaching two diamond-shaped cloths to the 
ends of yard-arms. To make the frame obtain two clear 
pine or white-wood sticks twelve feet long, one inch and a 
quarter square, and taper them slightly towards the ends 
with a plane. At the same time round the corners at the 
top of one stick and bottom of the other as shown in Fig. 
2 C, which represents a sawed-off section of both sticks. 
With linen line wind the sticks for an inch or two for every 
nine or ten inches of their entire length to strengthen them. 
Paint these windings a dark color and then varnish the 
sticks or color them with a stain. 

Now procure two other sticks, each five feet six inches 
long and seven-eighths of an inch square, and plane them 

9 115 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

smooth, at the same time tapering the ends sHghtly. These 
are for the cross-arms, and at the middle of each one lash 
fast a block five inches long and seven-eighths of an inch 
square having a pin driven in each end as shown in Fig. 2 
A. These pins fit in small holes made at the inside of the 
yard-arms four feet and six inches from either end. 

The yard-arms are lashed together at the ends, then sprung 
apart at the middle so that the cross-arm blocks will fit be- 
tween them. To properly hold the arms in place a strap 
should be drawn around the sticks at the middle, and to 
insure a good prop a block six inches long, two inches wide, 
and seven-eighths of an inch thick is to be cut and provided 
with two pins at each end as shown in Fig. 2 C. The pins 
will fit into small holes made in the long sticks, and when 
the strap is buckled tight the block will be held securely in 
place. 

A large flat hook should be lashed fast to this block, and 
when sailing along before the wind this can be caught over 
a stout leather belt to help support the weight of the 
sail. 

Two twilled-cotton sails are made in the shape shown in 
the illustration and provided with snaps at the three outer 
ends so that they may catch into eyes lashed fast to the ends 
of the arms and to the long sticks as shown in Fig. 2 B. 
The sails should be drawn taut at the inner ends with rings 
and a strap or light rope. If there should be too milch sail- 
area for the wind that may be blowing the sail can be 
feathered — that is, bent down or up so that it allows some 
of the wind to pass under it instead of pressing against the 
sails with its full force. 

116 




A SKATING-SAIL, A SQUARE-RIGGED ICE-SAIL. AND A SNOWBALL MORTAR 

117 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

A Sqtiare-rigged Ice-sail 

In Fig. 3 two square sails are supported at the ends of 
crossed yard-arms fourteen feet long. Four cross-sticks of 
equal length are made, the same as those for the skating- 
sail first described, and at the middle a long block is attached 
to two of them as shown in Fig. 2 A. Pins in the ends of the 
blocks fit into holes in the long arms, and when the ends of 
the long arms are bent in they grip the pins and blocks. 

Short blocks provided with a single pin are lashed to the 
outer cross-sticks eight inches in from the ends. Holes 
made in the outer ends of the long sticks will receive these 
pins, the spring of the stick holding both inner and outer 
cross-sticks in place at the same time. 

Heavy sheeting or unbleached muslin sails may be stretch- 
ed and bound to the cross-sticks and when detached they 
can be rolled up on the sticks. This sail is handled the same 
as the skating-sail but is more powerful as the sheets are 
larger. 

A Snowball Mortar 

For snowball fights a mortar is an effective weapon for 
it throws a shot upward into the air. It may be mounted 
on a hand-sled. 

Make two triangles of boards as shown in Fig. 4. The 
bottom strip should project far enough below the two legs 
to permit of screwing it firmly to the edge of the bottom 
board, which is the width of the top of the sled and is at- 
tached to it by straps. 

The pivot -bar or axle-tree rests in grooves cut in the 

118 



SAIL-SKATING 



points of the triangles. The propulsion-bar (A) is a stout 
piece of oak fastened securely to the pivot-bar and at right 
angles to it. Two uprights (BB) fastened to the bottom 
board by screws or nails driven from underneath and braced 
to the legs of the triangles support a cross-piece which 
keeps the propulsion-bar horizontal when the spring is at- 
tached. A small tin basin is secured to the extreme for- 
ward end of the propulsion-bar. 

To use the mortar place a snowball or other missile in the 
basin and strike the other end of the bar a hard blow with a 
long-handled wooden-mallet. 

The range may be regulated by the force of the blow and 
by moving the sled to and fro and right and left. Dimen- 
sions of mortar shown in diagram: Length of bottom board, 
three feet ten inches; length of legs, two feet six inches; 
uprights, two feet three inches ; propulsion-bar, four feet 
two inches by two and one-half by four inches; width of 
frame, thirteen inches. 

Should the snow be too dry to make compact snowballs 
a small piece of sheep-skin or cotton-batting should be 
inserted in the breech of the gun or the basin of the mortar 
and tacked in place. This will tend to prevent the snow- 
balls from breaking. 

Fig. 5 is an end-view of the mortar and Fig. 6 is the 
wooden mallet used in firing. 



Chapter VIII 

KITES AND AEROPLANES 
The Ship Kite 

THE ship kite (Fig. i) is an odd shape for a wind-toy 
but a good sailer in any breeze. It is quite easy to 
make and requires but one mast, four yard-arms, a keel, 
some thin, strong twine, and the necessary covering mate- 
rials. The mast is thirty-six inches long, the lowest spar 
twenty -four inches long, the top one twelve, and the two 
middle ones proportioned in length to the two side-strings 
tied at the ends of the top and bottom sticks — that is, at 
A and B on both sides of Fig. 2. 

The keel of the frame is made from a thin piece of hard- 
wood that will spring and keep its shape, such as hickory, 
oak, or birch ; and after soaking it in boiling hot water for 
a few minutes lash it fast to the bottom of the mast and 
draw up the ends with the strings C, C (Fig. 2), and carry 
the ends up over two yard-arms so the pressure of the keel 
will not draw the lower yard-arm out of shape. The sticks 
should be of good clear and tough white or North Carolina 
pine, spruce, or white-wood, three-eighths of an inch square 
for the mast and the same size but tapered at the ends for 
the yard-arms. Use strong cotton or linen twine for the 

120 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



connections between spars and mast and draw them taut 
but not so tight that they would spring the sticks out of shape. 
From the ends of each yard-arm strings D D D are 
stretched and tied to the mast so as to make an opening 
at the bottom of each sail. In kite-making it is found a 
much better plan to have a number of planes against which 




the wind can act instead of one large one that is often un- 
wieldy and difficult to handle. 

This frame should be covered with thin paper muslin, 
sewed all around the edges over the string-ribs and to the 
frame-sticks with strong cotton thread. Do not have too 
much muslin overlap the edges, and after going around the 
edges twice with the needle and fine cotton thread it would 
be well to cut away all the unnecessary material as it only 

121 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

adds weight with no benefit to the kite. Do not use paste 
or glue to fasten the fabric covering on a frame; it only 
adds weight and does not stick well. 

Arrange the yoke as shown in the illustration of the ship 
kite (Fig. i), and to balance it make two funnel-drags or 
wind-anchors from thin wire or wood hoops, nine inches in 
diameter, the funnel proper being of paper muslin twelve 
inches deep. Use hickory or green birch for the hoops and 
lap the ends for three inches ; then bind them together with 
strong linen thread. 

Make the funnel-shaped bag of paper muslin and drop the 
hoop into it, taking care to get an equal space all around 
from point of cone to edge of hoop. Then sew the bag fast 
to the hoop and cut away all surplus material. The yoke 
is made of two strong, thin cross-wires or strings and the 
drop-string is fastened where they cross, as may be seen in 
Fig. I. 

The Chinese-jtink Kite 

The Chinese-junk kite (Fig. 3), is made in a similar man- 
ner to the ship kite, but there are two masts, as the kite 
is broader and larger; consequently the frame should be 
braced so that it will not rack in a strong breeze. 

The masts are forty-two inches high, the lowest yard-arm 
thirty-six inches long, and the top one thirty inches in 
length. The bottom of the hull is made from a piece of 
green hickory or birch sprung into place and lashed fast with 
linen line. There are three inches of space between the 
hull and lower sail and from two to three inches of space 
between the other sails. 

122 



/veiT 




THE CHINESE-JUNK KITE 
123 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The masts and spars may be of any light, strong wood, 
the masts half an inch square and the yard-arms three- 
eighths of an inch tapered towards the ends. The spars 
and masts are bound securely with fine linen line as shown 
in the jimk kite-frame (Fig. 4). It would look well to cover 
the sail-frames of all these boat kites with white or very 
light-colored muslin and the hulls with dark-brown, green, 
or black goods so as to lend contrast and make the kites 
when in the air appear more like real boats. 

Arrange the yoke to this kite as shown in the drawing 
(Fig. 3), and add as many funnel-drags as may be found 
necessary to steady this kite. Instead of placing these 
wind-anchors close to the foot of the kite it is often better to 
drop a cord five or ten feet with the funnel on the end of it. 
While the funnel weighs but very little it is acted on by the 
wind and is better than a heavy tail. As the wind blows 
stronger the funnel is forced back and holds the wind, there- 
by dragging on the foot of the kite and automatically shift- 
ing it to different angles so that the wind will pass down 
along the planes and out through the spaces underneath. 

The Schooner Kite 

The schooner kite (Fig. 5) is an attractive one when sail- 
ing up in the wind, and for a kite the shape is very close 
to a real schooner in proportions. The frame is built on a 
deck-stick thirty-seven inches long, and six inches below it 
is the keel-stick twenty inches long. The main-mast or aft- 
stick is thirty-three inches long and the foremast is thirty 
inches from tip to tip. The foremast is set in twelve inches 

124 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



from the bow end of the deck-stick and the main-mast is ten 
inches from this. The gaffs are each nine inches long and 
are caught to both mast and a top-stick, which is in turn 
lashed fast to the upper part of each mast. Strings are run 
from place to place on these sticks as shown at Fig. 0, then 
the sails and hull are cut from muslin and sewed to the 
strings and spars. 

The yoke is composed of three strings as shown in the 
drawing (Fig. 5), and from the muslin cut two pennants and 
float them from the top of the masts. 

When up in the air this schooner kite will have a very real 
appearance as the breeze will bulge the sails and give it the 
effect of tacking on the wind. If the schooner is inclined to 
pitch or roll too much attach two wind-anchors, one at the 
foot of each mast, and pay them out about five or six feet. 

A Balloon Kite 

From four sticks and a long hickory rib the balloon kite- 
frame (Fig. 7) is made. The cross-sticks are three feet and 
three inches long and the uprights are each four feet long. 
The uprights are set apart six inches at the foot and eleven 
inches at the top, while the cross-sticks are twelve inches 
apart at both sides of the frame. Where the sticks cross 
they are to be lashed and bound with linen twine ; then the 
hickory rib is sprimg into position and lashed fast at the 
ends of the cross-sticks and upper ends of the vertical sticks. 
A thong is to be boimd to each end of the rib and drawn 
down to the foot of the frame so that the curve over the top 
formed by the hickory rib is even and symmetrical. 

125 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Cover this frame with dark-gray or green paper musHn, 
then make the car from a hoop fifteen inches in diameter 
and a musHn funnel twenty inches deep. Suspend the car 
on four strings attached to the foot of the kite, and having 
arranged the yoke from the places where the sticks cross, as 
shown in Fig. 8, this interesting sky-scraper will be ready 
for an ascension. 

An Air-ship Kite 

The air-ship kite (Fig. 9), if large and well made, will 
present a very realistic appearance when well up in the air. 

The frame is made from dry spruce or pine sticks half an 
inch square for the long ones and a trifle smaller for the 
shorter ones. The frame as shown in Fig. 10 is seven feet 
long from A to A, and at the middle the balloon is twenty- 
eight inches — that is, from B to B. The middle upright 
stick is four feet long and the end sticks C C that support 
the car are forty-five inches long. The middle upright B B 
is first lashed to the middle of the long stick A A. The 
ends of the curved sticks are then brought together and 
lashed to ends A A, and at the same time the iinions are 
made with sticks C C. After that the sticks between B 
and C are set in place and securely lashed fast. The long 
sticks D D, forming the top and bottom of the car, are four 
feet and four inches long. One is lashed to the lower ends 
of the three long drop-sticks and ten inches above that the 
top one is made fast. 

With thin spring or hard brass wire bind the forms of the 
two occupants of the car and make them fast to sticks D D 
with string. Then cover the entire balloon and car as well 

126 



/VG 6 




/v<5 7 ^^ ^^ 

THE SCHOONER, BALLOON, AND AN AIR-SHIP KITE 
127 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

as the men with dark-colored paper musHn. Make the 
yoke of linen thread so that the kite will balance well. 

Bat-wing and Crown-top Kites 

Of the many odd shapes in which kites can be made 
perhaps the bat-wing and crown-top are the most tmique. 

The bat-wing (Fig. ii) is made up on a frame composed of 
half -inch square sticks for the longest ones and three-eighths- 
inch square ones for the cross-ribs. The two long sticks (Fig. 
1 2, AA) are six feet and six inches, slightly tapered at the ends 
and separated about eight inches. The long uprights B B 
are four feet and three inches and are separated fifteen inches. 

These two sets of sticks are lashed fast where they cross 
and the horizontal ones are bound at the outer ends with 
short sticks twelve inches in length. Fifteen inches up 
from the bottom a cross-stick, C, four feet long is lashed 
fast ; then the shape is described with stout cotton or linen 
cord. This frame is to be covered with muslin and sewed 
at the edges, and when ready to fly it arrange the yoke as 
shown in the illustration (Fig. ii). 

The crown-top kite (Fig. 13) is three feet and six inches 
wide, three feet high, and one foot across the bottom. 
These sizes are for a kite of medium size; if a larger one is 
desired it can be made five feet and three inches wide, four 
feet and three inches high, and eighteen inches across the 
foot. The sticks are from a quarter to half an inch square 
and bound together with strong, thin cord (Fig. 14). Muslin 
is the proper covering for this frame, but if thin, strong 
paper is preferred it can be used to good advantage. 

128 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



Sandwich Islands Bird Kite 

One afternoon in the village of Paihiihi, on Maui, one of 
the Sandwich Islands, I saw, at a considerable distance from 
me, a curious object floating in the air and at first mistook 
it for a large bird. It would glide about in graceful curves 
or dart suddenly towards the ground only to soar upward 
just as suddenly, or poise motionless save for a slight flap- 
ping of its wings. 

But my blissful ignorance was soon dispelled by the 
laughter of a friend who assured me that I was gazing at 
one of the kites of the cannibals — a name sportively ap- 
plied to a number of natives of the Gilbert Islands who immi- 
grated to Maui some time since. They are a more barbar- 
ous people than the Hawaiians but seem to be amiable, 
and I have never known them to eat anything worse than 
a shark. 

Wishing to see this new variety of kite, I started imme- 
diately for the scene of action, and was soon in the midst of 
a dozen or more men and women about half of whom had 
kites, which were larger than I had supposed, being from 
thirteen to fifteen feet wide and two to three feet high. 
When I arrived several were floating high in the air almost 
directly* over the men who held the strings — sometimes, 
indeed, sailing directly over them. 

I watched for some time their graceful, birdlike motion 
and then tried to buy one. They seemed loath to part with 
them, however, and it was only after I had exhausted nearly 
all my persuasive powers and all the small change in my 
pockets that I succeeded in obtaining one. My awkward 

129 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 




endeavors to carry it away with me were greeted with much 
laughter until one of the cannibals showed me the proper 
way to handle it. 

The drawings which I have made of one of these kites 
will enable any enterprising boy to make one. As no tail 
is used great care must be taken to make it perfectly sym- 

130 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



metrical. It is also desirable to have the kite very light 
and yet as stiff as possible. 

The proper construction of the frame is shown in Fig. 15. 
The total width of this kite is thirteen feet and the height 
at the middle is thirty-two inches. First cut the middle 
stick C C thirty -two inches long and lay it on the floor of 
a barn where a few nails can be driven in temporarily to 
hold the sticks while bending them into the proper shapes. 
Cut sticks D D, E E, and F F, and place them on the floor 
either side of the middle one. The long, straight stick A A 
is twelve feet in length, of half -inch basswood or pine, and 
slightly tapered with a plane at both ends. Lash this to 
each of the cross-sticks, then with a long stick bend the 
bow around nails driven in the floor as indicated by the dots 
under the bow-piece in Fig. 15. 

This bow-piece is half an inch square and tapered with a 
plane at both ends. It would be well to pour boiling water 
on thig stick for a distance of three feet at both ends, so as 
to make it easier to bend. Leave it in this position for a 
few hours until the water dries out and the wood is shaped, 
then lash the top ends of the cross -sticks to the bow- 
piece. 

While bending the bow the two lower sticks may be 
shaped at the same time. They should be of hickory or 
birch and tapered at the outer ends. These must be shaped 
over nails the same as the bow-piece, then when they are 
dry they are to be lashed to all the cross -ribs and the ends 
of the bow with fine linen line. The cross-sticks need not 
be more than three-eighths of an inch square, but the middle 
and top sticks should be half an inch thick for strength. 
10 131 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



Draw cross-strings from the top and lower ends of sticks 
D D, as shown in Fig. 15, to act as braces; then cover the 
frame with thin, strong paper or muslin, sewing it fast to 
the ribs with linen thread. The construction of the yoke 
is clearly shown in Fig. 16. 

Box Kites 

High up in the air, much too high for the boys on the 
ground to see the mechanical details, several queer-looking 
but powerful kites, or "gigs," were tugging at their strings 
in a stiff breeze. When these flying - gigs were hauled 
down a big crowd of boys gathered to see them at close 
range, and here are the pictures of them as well as the 
plan-drawings showing how they are made. Any bright 
boy can easily follow these plans and produce equally good 
and powerful kites. 

The construction of the box kite is shown in Fig. 17, 
where the oblong measures thirty-six inches high and twenty- 
four inches wide. These oblongs are held apart at the top 
and bottom by sticks A A which measure twelve inches in 
length. At the middle of the framework the corner sticks 
B Bare braced with two cross-sticks C, which are notched 
at the ends, so that the inside corners of the sticks B B will 
fit snugly and can be securely held with a slim steel-wire 
nail. This frame is made of light pine sticks about three- 
eighths or half an inch square. 

Eight inches below the top of the frame tie a cord, and 
nine inches below this tie another one to the front upright 
sticks as shown at D D. Cover the front, sides, and back 

132 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



of the frame with strong, thin Manila paper or light, closely 
woven muslin, having the top and bottom open, also the 
space at the front between the strings D D. A yoke caught 
at the top corner of the box, as shown in Fig. i8, will be 
sufficient in a light breeze, but for a strong wind add another 




/WG20 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



from the side-sticks where the top or bottom cord D is tied ; 
this will steady the flying-box and prevent its pitching. 

The " paralleloplane " is another powerful kite which is 
easily constructed according to the plan shown in Fig. 19. 
The front frame is thirty-six inches high and twenty-four 
inches wide and braced with cross -sticks H H. The rear 
frame is forty-four inches long and fifteen inches wide and 
is held in place ten inches behind the large frame with sticks 
I I. Strings are tied to the top and bottom cross-sticks of 
the large frame, and eight inches apart, as shown at J J, to 
which one end of the paper or muslin is made fast. Fig. 20 
will show the three fields covered with cloth or paper, and 
when the paralleloplane is in the air the space between 
the front planes admits the wind to the rear plane with the 
extending tail, which tips the kite to the proper angle. 

If these kites need balancing in very strong breezes, a yoke 
at the bottom of the kites from which a long string may be 
suspended will take some paper cross-bars, as shown in Fig. 
21, or the wind-anchors can be used. One or two of them 
may be hung from the bottom on a long string or one at 
each lower end of the paralleloplane. 

A messenger that will travel and travel fast is shown in 
Fig. 22, and as they are very easy to make a number of them 
should be prepared for use. Two thin sticks twelve inches 
long form the top and bottom yards for a strip of muslin 
or paper six inches wide. From the four ends some thin 
wire such as florists use is connected with a cork about 
twelve inches in the rear of the sail, where it is bound 
fast with a few wraps of the wire. A pin is passed through 
the middle of the top yard to the sail and is bent over form- 

134 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



ing a hook, and in the cork another one is arranged in a 
similar manner. The messenger can be hung on the string, 




r/G2f 





/^/G 22 



and if there are no knots to intercept its progress it will 
quickly speed away to the kite. 



The Flying-wedge and Dotible-plane Kite 

Flying-wedge or double-plane kites are made in several 
shapes and sizes with the planes arranged at different angles 
and in broken surfaces. 

The flying -wedge is an interesting gig to make and 

135 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

hold when up, for it is a strong puller. Its construction is 
shown in Fig. 23, and like the box kite the frame is made of 
half -inch pine sticks. The front frame is forty inches high 
and twenty-four inches wide, and the rear one two inches 
longer but the same width. The frames are attached at the 
top but held apart at the bottom by the sticks E E, which 
are eighteen inches long. Twelve inches below the top a 
cross-stick F is attached, and from the side -sticks down to 
the centre of the bottom cross-stick the sticks G G are made 
fast. Strings may be substituted for these sticks but they 
will not brace the framework so well. Diagonally across 
the back frame and at the bottom strings are made fast to 
brace the frame, while the back ones also help to relieve the 
strain of the wind on the paper or muslin drawn across the 
framework. Figure 24 will show the fields covered with paper 
or muslin, which are arranged so the wind passing through 
the triangular opening in front presses against the back plane 
and out at the sides and bottom, while some of it is forced 
up in the top behind the upper plane and helps in the lifting 
power. Small flags on sticks at the top add to the appear- 
ance of this flying-wedge which is an exceedingly unique 
sky-scraper. 

The double-plane kite (Fig. 25) is another form of the 
wedge. The general plan and sizes for the frame of this 
wedge tally with those just given, but the slight changes in 
the arrangement of sticks can be seen in Fig. 26. 

The plane at the front is just half the height of the kite, 
and at the back it would be well to use two cross-sticks from 
corner to corner as braces rather than string as suggested, 
for the flying-wedge. Use paper muslin for the covering 

136 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



and stretch it taut ; then sew it fast. Rig up two small flags 
on sticks for the top corners and arrange the yoke as shown 
in Fig. 25. If the wedge is inclined to wobble or dive hang 
two wind-anchors on the corners, preferably the front, as the 
action will be better than if hung at the back. 

The wind strikes the front plane and upper part of rear 




OUT-POOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

bevelled plane, also the outer edges of the rear plane, and in 
this manner a double kite is made that will be found a strong 
and steady puller. 

Kite-reels 

Kite-reels are always useful things to help haul in long 
lengths of string, and particularly if the kite is a strong 
puller and in a stiff breeze. 

A reel for kites with a good pull is shown in Fig. 27, and 
a boy with a hammer, a saw, and a few nails can quickly put 
it together from some box-boards sawed in two-inch strips. 
The reel is made of two thin boards half an inch in thickness, 
cut circular with a compass-saw, and the hub is shaped from 
an old rolling-pin that perhaps has been discarded from the 
kitchen. It is impossible to give exact sizes owing to the 
possible difference in the lengths of rolling-pins, but the 
round sides should be at least six inches in diameter and 
placed twelve inches apart. One end of the pin, or the 
handle, should be sawed and cut square so a crank may be 
cut and nailed to it as shown at A in Fig. 28. From wood 
seven-eighths of an inch thick cut the crank B, and attach a 
handle to the outer end of it. Bore a hole with a bit in the 
end that fits over the axle, and with a compass-saw or small 
chisel cut the hole square so that the axle will fit snugly into 
it. The flanges are to be made fast to the ends of the rolling- 
pin hub with nails or screws, and this revolving barrel is 
hung in the inverted V-shaped frame of the reel. To hold 
this reel down when winding in a line make several hard- 
wood stakes as shown at C. These are cut out with a saw ; 
and to protect the head and prevent it from splitting off, 

138 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



bore two small holes through the head as indicated by the 
dotted lines and slip steel-wire nails through them. Place 
burrs over the pointed ends, cut the ends off, and with a 
light hammer rivet the nail-ends down on the burrs so as to 
bind the head securely. This is much better than winding 
wire about the head, since the nails act as pins and will 
prevent the head from splitting while the stake is being 
driven into the ground. The overhanging end of the head 
laps on the end cross-plates forming the platform of the 
reel, and two or three at the end opposite that at which the 
string is being hauled in will hold the reel securely to the 
ground. 

Another form of reel is shown in the illustration of a 
chest-reel (Fig. 30). This is made from two fiat, good barrel- 
hoops, some braces, and the reel and shaft as described in 
Fig. 28 A and B. 

Two good, broad barrel-hoops are selected and cut so that 
they will measure eighteen inches on the segment or twelve 
inches across the line A A in Fig. 29. Two out -riggers B B 
are cut from pine or white-wood ten inches long, two inches 
wide, and three-quarters of an inch thick ; these are bevelled 
at the end towards the hoop, where they are made fast with 
screws. The outer ends of these sticks are bound with the 
stick C, and near the inner ends and close to the hoop a 
binder-piece D is fastened with screws. 

The reel should be made first and clamped in place when 
the frame is put together. The lower hoop is made fast to 
the short upright pieces C C, shown in Fig. 30, and braced 
to the main out-riggers B B with bracket-strips. All the 
unions are made with screws or long copper rivets securely 

139 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

fastened at the blunt end with burrs over which the copper 
end is beaten and riveted. 

Near the hoop-ends holes are to be made with a bit 
through which stout cotton line can be passed and made 




fast so as to tie the reel to a boy's body (Fig. 30). The 
hoop-end should be bound with linen line at either side of 
the hole so as to prevent the hoop splitting and the lashing- 
thongs tearing away. This is a very convenient form of 
portable reel and is easily carried about without having to 

14Q 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



touch it. A friction-brake can be made from a piece of sole- 
leather that will bear against the edge of one large end of 
the reel so that when paying out cord it may be regulated 
as the kite draws on it. 

Leather or metal washers should be placed between the 
reel-ends and the frame that the axle is hung in so as 
to prevent friction and the consequent wearing of the 
wood. 

Pig. 31 shows a simple, home-made box-reel that will wind 
up a thousand feet of line in short order. It consists of a 
box, to which the cover is hinged, and two sprocket-wheels 
from an old bicycle. One large one has a handle for turning 
it, the other, a smaller wheel, is fastened firmly to a spindle 
(Fig. 32) that runs through the box. The box is of pine or 
white-wood fourteen inches long inside measure, eight inches 
wide, and ten inches deep. The wood may be from one-half 
to seven-eighths of an inch thick, and the points should be 
made with glue and nails or screws to hold them securely 
and prevent the box from racking. 

Find two old sprocket-wheels and a piece of bicycle chain 
and make the wheels fast to iron axles that will pass through 
holes made in the sides of the box. The ends of these axles 
should be threaded and provided with a nut so as to hold 
the axles in place when run through the box. 

The arrangement of these wheels and the chain is clearly 
shown in the illustration of a box-reel (Fig. 31). The large 
wheel should be attached to an axle and one of the pedal- 
cranks made fast to it. Instead of the pedal a wooden 
handle will slip on the pedal axle where it can be secured 
by the nut that held the pedal in place. The relative posi- 

141 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

tions of wheels, axles, and other parts of this reel can be 
seen at Fig. 33. A represents the crank, handle, and large 
wheel ; B the axle that passes through the box ; C the axle 
and flanges made fast to the small sprocket-wheel; and D 
shows how the wooden roller-wheels are arranged over the 
slot in the box so that the string can be drawn in without 
its touching the edge of the slot. The edges should be flared 
at the under side so that the cord will wind on a fat r.eel 
without touching the wood as shown at E. 

Two wooden flanges should be cut from thin wood and 
made fast to the axle C to prevent the cord winding on the 
axle close to the box and thereby clogging its action. 
Leather washers separate the flanges and the boxes so as to 
reduce the possibility of friction. 

The slot cut in the top of the box should be as long as the 
available winding-space on the axle, and protecting it at 
both sides are rollers cut from one-inch curtain-poles or 
broom-sticks. Steel-wire finishing-nails are driven in the 
end of each one, taking care to get the nail exactly in the 
middle. 

Bend two L-pieces from stout sheet-iron, and having 
punched or drilled holes in the right place through the up- 
right ear, make these bearings fast to the top of the box 
with screws as shown at D in Fig. 33. By turning the box 
slightly from side to side when winding in the string, the 
incoming line will travel from end to end of the slot so 
that the coil on the shaft will be equally thick from flange 
to flange. 

A leather trunk-handle may be made fast to one end of 
the box for convenience in carrying. 

142 



KITES AND AEROPLANES 



This form of direct gearing with sprocket-wheels and 
chain makes it impossible for the cord-shaft to slip as it will 
do in the grooved wheel and string or leather-belt connec- 
tions. It is simple and sure and quite as easy to pay out 
from as to wind in with. 



Chapter IX 

FISHING-TACKLE 
Choice of Tackle 

EVERY boy knows how to go a-fishing, but an intelli- 
gent boy is not long in learning that the mere getting 
of a lot of fish is a small part of the pleasure. That is why 
he prefers the rod to the seine, one big fish to many smaller 
ones, one cunning old trout or pickerel outwitted to a basket 
of stupid fish that contended for the bait. Presently he 
begins to desire more delicate tackle, and understands that 
he is fishing for sport, not fish. I take it that the whole art 
and mystery of angling is how to get the most sport and 
enjoyment out of it. But how? 

To begin with, no one will destroy a fish which is not 
dangerous to man, nor will he fish just for amusement ; in 
other words, he fishes only for desirable fish. The chief 
things that make a fish desirable, in the sense of a game or 
sport fish, are that it shall be good food, not too common and 
not too easily caught. If, besides, it be beautiful and foimd 
in beautiful places so much the better. It happens that by 
common consent certain fish — salmon and trout and their 
kindred — are in Europe and America esteemed above all 
others, and the opportunity to angle for them is not open 

144 



FISHING-TACKLE 



to every one, and most boys must get their sport with other 
less - esteemed kinds. ''Boys' fish" they are sometimes 
sHghtingly called, but they have lots of sport to give to the 
boy who knows how to get it, and he will get more sport 
if he takes pains to make the fish better worth catching and 
better w^orth having after it is caught. It is better worth 
having, for instance, if you have caught it from the cleanest 
water you hcive access to. Clean water makes sweet fish. 
If a fish is to be kept kill it at once by a blow upon the back 
of the head where the backbone joins it. This is not only 
more merciful but makes firmer meat. If one is fishing from 
a boat or not moving about much the fish may be kept alive 
in a floating live -box or basket, and at the end of the fishing 
the best may be chosen for keeping and the rest let go. 
Fish are sweeter, too, if cleaned as soon as possible; besides, 
the cleaning is done more easily if done early. Learn to do 
it well yourself, and try to be at home in time to do it before 
supper. Cleaning fish by candle-light goes far to spoil the 
sport of a pleasant day. Do not clean fish with your pocket- 
knife. Have in your kit a stout one for the purpose which 
will also cut bait. Such knives made expressly are sold for 
a small sum, but a veteran kitchen-knife or a broken table- 
knife if kept in order will do excellent service. 

Do not throw your fish in the dirt nor let them lie in the 
sun nor string them upon a twig or line if you wish them 
to be sweet. Have a basket with a cover, even if the cover 
be no more than a newspaper. Wash this basket and dry 
and air it in the sunshine if you can after every using. All 
these things you should do if you wish what you catch to 
be as good as it can be. 

145 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Now, how are you to increase the sport of the catching? 
Of course you want the largest fish and these are usually the 
oldest and the most wary. This wariness you do not expect 
to change, but you hope to defeat it. Study the habits of the 
fish, where and w^hen and upon what it feeds or what it 
seeks. Let your fishing be governed by your discoveries. 
And while you are offering him what he wants and when and 
where he wants it, remember these old fellows are fussy 
about their table-service. They do not feel hungry if a boy 
throws his shadow across their table, or shakes it by rushing 
up to it. Stalk your fish, then, as quietly as you are able, 
and if you have alarmed it in any way stay out of sight and 
remain as quiet as possible for a long time until your clumsi- 
ness is forgotten, and then let your lure, whether bait or fly, 
drift into the fish's sight as if you had nothing to do with it. 
And remember that the finer your tackle the more likely 
this pretence will be to succeed. 

You want also as good a fight as you can get. Remember 
that the fighting qualities of fish are as a rule best developed 
in those which live in rapid and turbulent water, and in those 
which pursue their prey a,nd catch it by their own nimble- 
ness. But any fish will fight better if you make the struggle 
more even by using delicate tackle. You win then only by 
dexterity of handling, which is one of the great charms of 
angling, and about the only one, as regards the mere catching 
of fish, on which the experienced angler sets much value. 
The secret of success with delicate tackle may be told in two 
words — care and coolness. Care in the preparation of the 
tackle, coolness in handling it. 

When you put your tackle together you will make it far 

146 



FISHING-TACKLE 



safer if you consider it as one apparatus or machine from 
hook to reel and if you let the rod top, or "tip," be the 
weakest point of all, because by it you can best determine 
the strain upon the whole gear. For instance, a good line 
for fresh-water fishing will usually lift at least ten pounds, 
a good snell at least three pounds if new, the hook more 
than the snell, while the top of an ordinary light rod will 
rarely bear more than two pounds of dead weight, so that 
you may know by the strain upon the top joint just what 
the tackle is bearing; and if the joint is safe the whole is 
likewise safe. 

By testing your tackle you raise your fishing from a rough- 
and-ready guesswork to something like certainty, the one 
point of doubt being always the security of the hook in the 
fish's mouth, and even of this you soon acquire the power of 
judging. But this testing is not done once for all. Good 
tackle which is put away wet to mildew, or gut which is" 
frayed or put in the sun to rot, does not long remain soimd. 
Therefore dry your line, carefully unwinding it from the 
reel if you have one and winding it upon a chair-back, for 
instance, when you come home. Look over and test your 
tackle every time you are going fishing — yes, and ever}^ time 
it gets caught on a stone or stump or in the bushes — if you 
wish to escape the loss of your best fish. All this means 
that tackle to be safe must be sound — that is, good all 
through. A line, for instance, which is strong in one place 
and weak in another will give you more trouble than one 
which is not so strong but uniform. 

The strain upon the tackle is equalized by the elasticity 
of the rod, which to some extent makes up for want of dex- 

147 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

terity. But never have a rod so flexible that it will not 
control the tackle, and, above all, avoid one which is weak 
in the middle. 

Lastly, let the fish do the pulling if you wish to safely 
handle it. No angling-tackle is as strong as a boy. But 
if the rod be so held that its spring keeps the line taut and 
a gentle, steady pull upon the fish the latter soon exhausts 
himself fighting this elasticity. 'Any excess of line not easily 
controlled by the rod alone should be at once taken up by 
the reel. Draw the tired fish out gently, without ''yank- 
ing," or if heavy lead it into the landing-net. 

Rods vary according to the kind of fishing, and the "all- 
round" fisherman will probably have, without being finicky, 
as many rods as a golf -player has clubs. But the boy for 
whom this is written must make his pocket-money go as far 
as possible, and he will probably have but one. Rod-making 
is an interesting amusement, but it would better be deferred 
until one knows fairly well the use of a rod and just what 
kind he wants. The making of rods is not very economi- 
cal, since nowadays factories turn out really good ones at 
prices little above what one must pay for reliable rod-wood. 
Roughly speaking, there are two kinds of rods, bait -rods and 
fly -rods. Bait -rods are nearly always stiffer than fly -rods; 
the latter must have sufficient flexibility and elasticity to 
throw a line quite a distance, often several times the length 
of the rod. But in choosing a bait -rod a different selection 
will be made according to the particular sort of fishing within 
reach. Thus if one fishes ponds or wide streams from the 
bank, a rod a dozen feet long would not be too long ; but if 
from a boat, a shorter rod not above ten feet will be more 

148 



FISHING-TACKLE 



convenient. Still, shorter rods are better if bait is to be cast 
long distances, as is done in minnow-casting or some kinds of 
sea-fishing. A jointed-rod is convenient for carrying, but if 
one lives within walking or driving distance of his fishing a 
rod in one piece, such as is easily made from a slender bamboo 
with an elastic tip of good wood spliced on, is as good for bait- 
fishing as any. If besides bait-fishing one desires to use the 
fly, then the best rod is a rather stout fly-rod about ten feet in 
length, because it can be used for bait-fishing, while a bait- 
rod cannot be used to cast a fly. 

Beautiful and excellent rods are made of split bamboo, 
and some of moderate cost, but avoid very cheap ones. But 
for beginners' use the writer prefers a solid-wood rod of good 
quality, because it is less liable to injury and because of the 
greater ease with which it is repaired ; the boy himself may 
do it if he be handy. Whatever rod you have, let the line- 
guides be of the sort known as ''standing-guides" rather 
than rings, if you have the choice. 

Lines should be sound and strong but not too heavy for 
the rod ; twisted lines are more easily found of good quality 
but braided lines kink less. Twenty yards are quite enough 
for any fishing of the kind we are considering and half as 
much would, usually suffice. In fly-fishing for large trout 
or bass the reel usually carries forty to fifty yards. 

Hooks should be of the best quality to be had. Good 
hooks are still practically all made in England. Shapes 
which have received names are many, and most of them 
have advantages for particular kinds of fishing. Among 
the best are O'Shaughnessy, Limerick, Sneckbend, Aber- 
deen, and Sproat. The last-named we think will meet more 

149 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

kinds of need than any other one. As to size it should be 
remembered that the hook is to fit the bait, not the fish's 
mouth ; a very small fish can take any ordinary hook. 

A reel is not so absolutely necessary as the rod, line, and 
hook, but it is a prime convenience. A well-made single- 
click reel is better than any multiplier except for the one 
matter of making long casts from the reel, which a beginner 
is not likely to do. 

For fly-casting a leader or casting-line of gut between 
the fly and the main line is necessary for making a light 
cast, but for ordinary bait-fishing the gut-snells which are 
nowadays so generally sold attached to hook are bottom 
line enough. If, however, you can get some white, gray, 
or cream-colored hairs from the tail of a young stallion you 
can make bottom lines or leaders for light fishing without 
expense. 

A gaudy float is pretty sure to form part of the first 
angling outfit, and it is useful to keep the bait out of the 
weeds and to notify the inexperienced angler that a fish is 
biting. Choose one that is slender in shape and not large. 
A dry stick makes a good enough extemporaneous float, and 
if fish are shy may be better than a more showy one. 

For sinkers split shot B B size and buckshot or strips of 
thin lead, such as comes from tea-chests, wound around the 
line are as good as any and very easily gotten. 

Do not buy a bait-box. It is not so good as a bag with a 
draw-string, which will allow your hand to be inserted and 
will also close the aperture snugly. The same string will 
serve to fasten the bag to your button-hole or creel-strap. 
The bag is best made of flannel. Wash it after using. 

150 



FISHING-TACKLE 



Worms are much better if dug a day or two before using 
and ** scoured" by putting them into soft moss wrung out 
of water. They become brighter and firmer by scouring 
and are m.ore attractive to fish. If live minnows or small 
fish are used for bait, of course they must be kept in water, 
which must be changed from time to time. A pail is the 
most convenient vessel to carry them in. 

A landing-net is convenient if you fish for game which 
is heavy in proportion to your tackle — say for fish upward 
of a pound in weight with a light rod. Very low-priced 
ones are now sold in the shops and sufficiently good ones 
can be made at home. 

We give no details about flies as their name is legion. * A 
beginner would better have but few kinds and of moderate 
size; a few hackles will probably be all he needs. 

There are a multitude of things sold in the tackle-shops 
which are tempting but not at all necessary, not to mention 
many which could have been devised only by a person who 
was no angler. Those already spoken of are all that seem 
essential. 

Bait-rods and Fly-rods 

Probably most boys are too sensible to fall into the error 
which seems to beset many adults — namely, that the posses- 
sion of tackle makes an angler. It is necessary to know 
how to use it. 

Begin by putting your rod together properly; put the 
tip into the middle first, and then the middle into the butt. 
See that the ferrules are well "home" and that the guides 
are all on the same side so that the line will run freely. 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Place, the reel, if you have one, in the reel-seat and see that 
the reel-bands are snug and will not slip. Then lead off the 
lines through the rings and the tip-ring. These details are 
the same whatever kind of fishing is in hand ; the others de- 
pend upon what is to be done. 

Let us stippose that you are to fish with bait and that 
bait a worm. If you have a short gut line — two or three 
feet long — it will be well to fasten it to the end of the line 
and to the other end of the gut attach the snell of the hook. 
But when seeking many fish which are not very shy, the 
snell may be fastened directly to the line. In fishing in a 
gently moving stream no lead may be needed ; if the cur- 
rent be quick a little will probably be required to keep the 
bait near the bottom. In pond -fishing or reaches of a 
stream which are very quiet a float as well as lead may be 
convenient. Some veteran anglers still enjoy the bobbing 
of the float. The hook may be put into the side of the 
worm as shown at A, or into the head as at B (Fig. i). A is 
rather more attractive to the fish ; B miore likely to be taken 
in such a way as to insure that the hook is in the fish's 
mouth. When the worm is dead or has slipped down into 
a bunch at the bend of the hook no fish that you want will 
be likely to take it. 

Now, do not make a splash when you put it into the water. 
If you have to cast it out into still water do not use your 
rod and line as if it were a thresher's flail. Holding your 
rod nearly straight up, give the line a gentle swing forward, 
and when the bait has swung well out reach after it with the 
rod so that the bait (and float, too, if there be one) shall fall 
as lightly as possible. Do not be in too great a hurry to 

152 



FISHING-TACKLE 



change its place. If you are fishing in running water, drop 
the bait quietly into the water and so manage the rod that 
it shall neither hasten nor hinder the movement of the bait, 
which should travel as nearly as possible as it would if it 
were not upon a hook. All the time you are to keep as 
much as possible out of sight. When you feel the pluck of 
the fish drop the point of yotir rod and wait a second or two 
before 3^ou attempt to strike the hook into the flesh. 

It sometimes happens that the place you wish to fish is so 
encumbered with bushes that it cannot be approached. In 
such a case, if you can find an opening in the bushes you may 
get at the water by shortening the line and winding what is 
left around and around the top of the rod. Then pass it 
through the opening, and, reaching out over the water, roll 
the rod over and over in the hands until the line is unwound 
and the bait goes dropping down to the water, as a spider 
lets himself down from his web. If you have a bite, give 
the fish time to make sure of the bait. Strike, and, when 
you can, shorten your line still farther if necessary and 
draw your fish out. 

On the other hand, if in a fairly open place you wish to 
reach a point at some distance, you may throw your bait 
out by pulling sufficient line from the reel, and, gathering it 
in coils upon the left hand, swing the bait out with sufficient 
force to carry the coils of line after it and so reach the 
desired point. 

To tell in a few words how to cast a fly is hardly practica- 
ble. It is not done by force but by knack. A cast consists 
of a back cast which carries the line upward and backward, 
and a forward cast which propels it towards the desired spot. 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



The knack consists in giving with the wrist such a quick 
motion to the rod as shall set its elasticity to work, and this 
carries the line. One must not thrash with the rod. 

As useful a way as any to help the reader will be to 
describe how the writer has tried to help lads who are 
learning to cast. It is in this way : The boy takes the rod, 
fitted with its reel and line only, to a water 's-edge free of 
bushes or trees or to a lawn recently mowed. If the grass 
is slightly damp all the better as it holds the line more nearly 
as does the water. He pulls off from the reel enough line 
so that the free part shall be once and a half or twice the 
length of the rod. This he throws out in front of him as 
well as he can. He then is told to keep his elbow close 
against his side to prevent moving the arm above the elbow. 
He then tries with a quick movement of the wrist, and with 
as little movement of the forearm as possible, to lift the line 
upward and backward until it straightens out behind him, 
and then with another similar motion to make it go straight 
out before him. 

The accompanying drawing (Figs. 2 and 3) show how the 
wrist and thumb really do all the work, and how little the 
forearm really moves in good casting. They show, too, what 
should be the limits of the motion in the butt of the rod. 
If it goes farther back the back cast is apt to be low and the 
line if not the rod may get into trouble in bushes or grass. 
If it goes farther forward the line is apt to go down with a 
splash. 

After this restraint of motion has become habitual the 
rule of holding the elbow against the side may be relaxed a 
little, especially in making long casts. 

154 






HOOK-BAITING AND FLY-CASTING 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



Do not try to lift a sunken line suddenly from the water. 
Coax it to the surface, as else the resistance of the line will 
probably snap your rod. 

Do not try to make the forward cast on just the same 
plane as the back cast for fear that the end of the line 
should snap like a whip-lash, which if you were actually 
fishing would crack off your flies pretty certainly. There- 
fore make the lift of the back cast with a slight sweep (gen- 
erally inward towards the body is the more natural), and 
deliver the forward cast straight out towards its destination. 
But always aim about your own height above the spot on 
the water you mean to reach to insure the line falling lightly. 

In all your practising remember that the key-note of good 
casting is in getting a good, clean, high back cast, and in never 
sending the line forward until it is quite straight out behind 
and above you in the back cast. If you have with you some 
one to guide you as to when it is straightened out it will 
be a great gain, particularly as the time required for the 
straightening varies with the length of line that is used. 

Do not try to cast a long line until you have learned to 
cast a short one well ; and well means not only with a high 
back cast and straight forward, but also accurately as to 
aim and delicately. 

RepaifSt KnotSt and Splices 

As has been said already it hardly pays nowadays to 
make one's own tackle, at least for a beginner. But a few 
things it is useful to know so that repairs and supplies of a 
sort can be made in an emergency. But emergencies are to 



FISHING-TACKLE 



a great degree prevented by care — ^by cleaning and looking 
over the rod and the reel whenever you come home, and 
keeping it safe. The reel may need a drop of oil now and 
then, and it should be always kept out of the dust, in a box 
or drawer, and above all from falls or blows. 

The repairs most commonly called for are the splicing of 




157 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



a broken rod, the replacing a lost tip-ring or guide-ring, the 
knotting of gut, and the putting a hook to gut. The repair- 
kit, to use a cyclist's phrase, consists of a piece of shoemaker's 
wax, some moderately stout sewing-silk — number A being 
the best suited for quick work of all sorts — some bits of 
flexible brass wire, and a pocket-knife. As the method of 
wrapping used in all repairs is essentially the same let us 
begin with the simplest, the putting the hook to gut. 

First wax well a piece of silk half a yard or more in length. 
Choose your hook and the piece of gut (or line if you do not 
use gut) to which it is to be fastened. Take the bend of the 
hook firmly between the left thumb and forefinger and with 
the right take two or three turns of the silk about the other 
end of the shank (Fig. 4 A). Then lay the gut on the under 
side of the hook, reaching two-thirds down the shank, and 
wind the silk snugly, coil against coil, over both hook and gut 
towards the bend of the hook B. When the gut is nearly 
covered make a loop as at C, but relatively larger than in the 
figure and keep on winding so that the part a covers in not 
only hook and gut but the part h, clearing the silk from the 
bend of the hook at each turn. When four or five turns 
have been taken draw on c and pull it snug. (D shows the 
loop not quite drawn down.) When snug cut off the end 
and you have the "invisible knot" or "whip-finish" uni- 
versally used by fishermen. The same whipping and finish 
are used for the other repairs mentioned above. 

Suppose that a joint of the rod has broken with a slanting 
break. It may be that the surfaces can be fitted together 
neatly. In this case they may be joined at once, but if any 
part has been lost or broken away, then the broken surfaces 

158 



FISHING-TACKLE 



must be trimmed and smoothed with the knife until they 
do fit. They are spliced thus : Rub the surfaces with your 
shoemaker's wax, press them together, and if you cannot 
easily hold them, tie them temporarily with a piece of string, 
or perhaps still better, make open coils over the joined parts 
as at A in Fig. 4. Then wind back over these coils and the 
joined parts, making close, snug coils just as you did on the 
hook. The whip-finish must be managed a little differently. 
Fig. 5 shows how this is done. When ready to finish drop 
a loop and make four or five loose turns. Carry the end 
under the beginning of the loop, wind down the loose coils 
firmly, and pull the end through as before. 

A lost tip-ring or guide-ring can be made good by a piece 
of wire bent into proper shape and whipped on with well 
waxed silk thread. 

We need say but a few words about knots. In order to 
knot your gut it must be first softened, which is done by 
laying it in water; it softens much more rapidly in luke- 
warm water than in cold. Two lengths of gut are joined 
together by lapping the end of one by the end of the other 
and making a knot in both together. Fig. 6 A shows 
this knot, only the end is put through twice for greater 
security. If the fishing is such as does not need strong 
tackle a single knot will sufiice. 

A loop at the end of a piece of gut is made by making the 
knot as at B, which is the commonly used knot. 

A better knot is that shown at C, which looks complicated 
as draw^n, but really is not so, as in tying it the two loops a 
and h are made, the end c laid between them, and then h is 
drawn through a. 

159 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

D shows the ordinary simple method of fastening a line to 
the loop of a leader or of a snell. It is the "becket hitch" 
of the seaman. It explains itself. Its great advantage is 




Fig. 6 

that it cannot slip if drawn down snugly and can be instantly 
loosened by pushing the main line back a little way. 



Aids for Yotirig Anglers 

How often has it happened that on reaching a camping- 
ground, hotel, or boarding-house near river or lake where 

i6o 



FISHING-TACKLE 



pickerel, bass, and large perch abounded no provision is 
found for the angler's sport but a boat — no lines, sinkers, or 
floats ; no nets for catching live bait, and no bait but worms. 
For sunfish, catfish, and small perch, worms are very fair 
bait ; but for pickerel, bass, and large perch live bait is best. 
Here are some makeshifts and aids that may be gotten up 
at short notice and at small expense. 

Fig. 7 is an end-section of a mosquito-net seine for taking 
live bait. The length of the seine is thirty-eight feet, depth 
five feet. The *' cork-line" A A consists of a small-sized 
clothes-line. Corks not always being obtainable, I have used 
pieces of thoroughly seasoned white pine three inches in 
length and one inch in diameter (C C C). Through these 
rounded pieces of wood holes are bored through which the 
clothes-line passes. These floats are placed eight inches 
apart and are kept in position by the clothes-line fitting 
tightly in the holes. At the bottom of the seine another 
clothes-line is sewed to the netting (B B). This is called the 
"lead line" and is for the purpose of keeping the lower part 
of the seine close to the bottom of the water. In the lead 
line pieces of sheet -lead one inch in length are fastened 
(H H H) twenty-eight inches apart. The ''staff" D is a 
well-seasoned piece of hickory six feet long, to the lower end 
of which sheet-lead is also fastened at E to keep it down. 
To the staff is attached the staff line F F F, thirty feet long, 
which is for the purpose of drawing in the seine after it has 
been cast. 

A seine of this size is generally worked by two persons 
and two boats. Each person takes one of the staff lines in 
his boat, and rowing towards the shore with the extended 

i6i 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



seine describes a semicircle between the boats. As the 
shore is approached each boat closes in, thereby causing the 
two staffs to meet and imprison all the fish that have come 
within the bounds of the seine. When one person works 
the seine one of the staff lines is tied to a rock or stake on 




162 



FISHING-TACKLE 



the shore and the other line is taken into a boat, or the 
operator wades out and causes his end of the seine to de- 
scribe a circle until the two shafts meet. Great care must 
be taken to keep the lead line close to the bottom otherwise 
the fish will escape. In the selection of the seining-ground 
always avoid stony bottoms, snags, and brush, which will 
cause the seine to "roll up" and tear. 

The cost of the above-described seine ranges from three 
to four dollars, and is capable of lasting two seasons if care- 
fully handled and spread out on the grass to dry after using 
it. A much superior article to mosquito-net is bobinet, 
which will last several seasons. 

"Fig. 8 is a bait -boat for keeping the bait alive. It is 
towed behind or kept by the side when fishing. The top 
and bottom pieces consist of half -inch pine ; in the centre of 
each piece square openings are cut; that on the top is pro- 
tected by a door made of wire-cloth or quarter-inch mesh 
fastened to two small staples which answer the purpose of 
hinges; over the opening in the bottom piece wire-cloth is 
nailed to admit of a free circulation of water. Under the 
back end of the top piece a cleat is nailed, also two cleats on 
the bottom piece as shown in the drawing. At the bow of 
the boat an upright piece of wood is fastened to the top and 
bottom of the bait-boat by means of screws. The sides of 
the boat consist of one piece of wire-cloth, the ends of which 
meet at the upright piece of wood at the bow and are nailed 
with broad-headed galvanized nails. The top and bottom 
of the wire-cloth are also fastened with nails to the edges of 
the top and bottom of the boat as shown in the drawing. 
A tow-line is fastened to the bow and the boat is complete. 
12 163 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

When handling the bait a small hand-net (Fig. 9) is used, 
consisting of a stout piece of wire as shown in the drawing. 
The straight parts of the wire are bound together with 
fishing-line and constitute the handle ; to this frame netting 
is sewed to form the net-bag. 

For a makeshift float nothing is better than a good-sized 
bottle-cork into which a cut has been made with a sharp 
knife or razor extending from the side to the centre of the 
cork. Into this cut the line is drawn as shown in Fig. 
10 A. 

Sheet-lead is always a useful aid in makeshift fishing- 
tackle, and for light lines makes excellent sinkers when bent 
and compressed around the line as shown at Fig. 10 B. 

For cleaning out a boat a stiff whisk-broom made of fine 
birch twigs bound together with wire or fishing-line, as 
shown at Fig. 1 1 , will be found very useful. 

Fig. 1 2 A and B are hand - made sinkers beaten and 
carved out of old lead pipe. The carved one, B, is first 
roughed out with a jack-knife and finished up with fine 
emery or sand paper. A is beaten into shape with a rail- 
road spike on an anvil or smooth stone. This beating and 
carving of lead is very pleasant work, the lead being of such 
an easy and good-natured temper. 

For a cheap and easy-obtainable bailer make use of an 
empty tomato or corned-beef can as shown in Fig. 13. A 
hole sufficiently large to admit of the handle is punched in 
the side of the can; the inside of the handle is chamfered 
off so as to fit close to the inner side of the can. Through 
the can and into the end of the handle a stout nail is driven 
as at A. 

164 




Fig. 9 




Fig. 12 



Fig. 13 




^ Fig. 11 



Fig. 10 





Fig. 12 , 



B L I 




Fig. 14 



SOME USEFUL HINTS 

i6s 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

A good bait for large fish is a strip cut from the under side 
of a small pickerel, perch, or sunfish, which is placed on the 
hook as shown in Fig. 14. 

Baits, and Where to Find Them 

As a rule, the young fisherman naturally considers the 
angle-worm to be the only bait he need have when he goes 
fishing, and, taking a spade, he seeks a moist, loamy spot in 
the garden and proceeds to fill his box. But there is a 
choice even in worms, and those of a clear, dark, amber 
color are the best. 

Just at night, and after a soft, warm rain, worms of the size 
of a lead-pencil will be found crawling over the ground. 
These are excellent bait for bass, chub, perch, and large 
trout early in the season. If you step very lightly, so as 
not to jar the ground, you can easily pick up a box of these 
large fellows. 

It is well enough to have worms with you on all occasions, 
but there are many other baits. Frogs, crabs, grubs, dob- 
sons, minnows, June-bugs, grasshoppers, and crickets, as 
well as artificial baits, are more successful lures with certain 
fish. A few words telling where to find these baits and the 
proper manner of keeping them fresh and lively may prove 
of value. 

Frogs are most plentiful on the shores of ponds or streams 
filled with plant growth, and in low, moist places in meadows. 
In searching for them in grass, wait till you see one jump, then 
catch it in your hands. They are not so easily gotten from the 
shores, as they are apt to take to the water at the first alarm. 

166 



FISHING-TACKLE 



Crabs are usually found under stones along the shores of a 
stream or pond, and in some localities in low, moist places in 
grass-lands. Seize the crab back of the pincers and it cannot 
nip you. 

Dobsons are only found under mossy stones in swift-run- 
ning waters. They are of a dark-gray color, have many legs, 
and when fully grown are about three inches long. The 
head is shield-shaped and armed with good, stout pincers, so 
handle the dobson as you would a crab. The best way to get 
a supply of dobsons is to have some one hold one edge of a 
fine-meshed net on the bottom of the stream while you turn 
over the stones above the net with a hoe. The dobsons, 
loosing their hold on the bottom, will be carried by the cur- 
rent into the net. Put frogs, crabs, and dobsons into a pail 
with plenty of grass and some water. If you are to keep 
them for some time change the water occasionally. 

Grubs are excellent bait for trout early in the season. 
They are found in partially decayed tree-trunks, stumps, 
and old timbers left in moist places. Cut into the wood 
with an axe, and if you find it full of holes of the size of a 
lead-pencil, knock it to pieces and pick out the grubs. Put 
them in a tin bait-box with some of the rotten wood you 
found them in. 

Minnows of a size suitable for perch and bass fishing can 
usually be procured from a spring hole or the pools of a 
small stream. Take a rather baggy net with a small mesh, 
and after setting it at one end of the pool drive the minnows 
into it by striking on the water with a pole and punching 
about on the bottom. If you stir up the water the little fish 
will drive more easily. If your supply must be procured 

167 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

from a lake or pond, look among the shallows close inshore 
until you have found a school, then draw a small seine 
around them. Large minnows for pickerel or pike fishing 
can be caught with a hook and line. Those you are to use 
for skittering had better be packed in salt. The minnows 
you would keep alive should be put into the bait-pail as 
soon as caught. Bait-pails, as usually made, consist of one 
pail freely perforated with holes to be set into a tight outer 
pail. By this arrangement the water can be changed fre- 
quently without inconveniencing the little fellows. If the 
bait is to be carried some distance, and there is no chance to 
change the w^ater, pack the space between the two pails 
loosely with grass. The water trickling down through the 
grass will take up the air needed by the fish. 

Crickets are to be found under stones, loose sods, and old 
planks. Select the largest you can find. June-bugs, some- 
times called May-bugs, hide through the heat of the day 
among the leaves of the trees, and sometimes by shaking a 
tree quite a number will fall to the ground. Grasshoppers 
are plentiful in meadow and pasture lands, and may easily 
be caught in the hands. Put June-bugs, crickets, and grass- 
hoppers in a wide-mouthed bottle loosely stuffed with grass. 
Do not cork the bottle tight. 

I never esteemed artificial baits, such as the rubber frog 
and crab, very highly. It is impossible to give the semblance 
of life to them in the water, and most game fish prefer live 
food to dead. The spoon-hook and the artificial fly, how- 
ever, have proved their worth. The spoon should be of a 
size in keeping with the size of the game fished for, and it is 
well enough to have two— one bright, for use early in the 

i68 



FISHING-TACKLE 



morning and late in the afternoon and on dark days, the 
other dull-colored for use in the brightest part of the day. 
It is an excellent plan to bait a spoon-hook with a large 
worm, a minnow, or a piece of meat ; then if the fish strikes 
and misses the hook it may get a portion of the bait and 
will strike again with truer aim. 

There are many other things that can be used for bait, 
which are to be found only in your locality. What they are 
you can learn by observation and experiment. One can 
always learn something. Only recently I discovered that 
bass were fond of darning-needles. 

Sometimes the fish have very fickle appetites, and it is 
well to have as many kinds of bait as you can conveniently 
carry. It is also a good plan to open the stomach of the 
first fish you catch, and offer to its companions the same 
kind of food found inside of it. 

A Trap for Small Fish 

Many of the boys and girls who live near the sea-side are 
interested in making and stocking aquariums, and many, no 
doubt, have experienced the same difficulty which I did when 
I used to stock aquariums myself. 

I always found that the scoop-net which we use to catch 
the fish with is good enough for certain kinds of minnows, 
but there are others which are too lively or too shy to be 
caught in that way; so I set to work to devise some plan 
for their capture. I claim no originality for this trap — it is 
hundreds of years old ; but as it answered my purpose better 
than anything else , I used it . The way I made it was as follows : 

169 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



I took a piece of wire-netting about three feet square and 
bent it so as to form a tube three feet long and about one 
foot in diameter (Fig. 15). I then took two other strips of 




L 



Fig. 15 



s^. 



'^^^iii 11 III! 11 Pisi 



lUfliiiflillJIII III 1 



Fig. 16 




Fig. 17 



wire-netting, three feet long at the top, one foot wide, and 
two feet at the bottom (Fig. 16) ; these I bent into funnel 

170 



FISHING-TACKLE 



shape. I sewed one funnel in about the middle of my cylin- 
der and another in one end, as shown in Fig. 15, strengthen- 
ing them in their position with strings from the small ends 
to the sides of the cylinder. The other end of the cylinder 
I closed with a piece of strong bagging so sewed on that there 
was a space left at one side which could be untied when I 
wished to empty the trap. 

The manner of setting the trap is as simple as its manu- 
facture. A handful of clams or mussels, crushed so that the 
minnows can get at the flesh, is thrown in between the first 
and second funnels. The fish, little crabs, small eels, and 
the like, go in, and when they try to get out they find it much 
easier to swim through the second funnel than to find the 
small hole in the first. I have had several of these traps, or 
'* pots, " as the fishermen call them, in operation at one time, 
and have caught as many as half a bushel of small fish in 
one night. 

The trap can be made by making a frame of hoops and 
lath and covering it with mosquito-netting, but it is not so 
desirable as the fine wire, being more easily torn. 

A Water-tttftle Trap 

Some time ago, while spending the summer in the country, 
I began the pleasing amusement of making an aquarium. 
I used various methods to procure the inmates of the great 
glass box which I had made for the purpose, and was success- 
ful, except that I could not get a water-turtle. There they 
would lie on logs in the pond sunning themselves, but the 
moment I came within reaching distance, plump they would 

171 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

go into the water. At last I took an old soap-box, and after 
carefully removing one end I nailed on the cover. I then 
fastened the end to the cover by hinges, so that it would 
swing inward, and after throwing in a few bones and scraps 
of meat, I sunk the box in the pond close beside a big log 
where the turtles were accustomed to sun themselves. I 
put a heavy stone on the box, so as to keep it steady, and 
awaited the next morning for developments. Fig. 17. 

Here I may say that this trap takes advantage of a pe- 
culiarity in the nature of the water-turtle — namely, if there 
is a log or stone that he cannot get under, that is just the 
place that he wants to get ; and I calculated that the slight 
resistance offered by my swinging door would be just enough 
to make the turtles determined to get into my box. The 
next morning when I went to my trap I found several turtles 
of all sizes, from one tiny, yellow-spotted fellow, or mud-tur- 
tle, not larger than a half-dollar, to an ugly, great snapper as 
big as your hat, and so ill-tempered that I let him go again, 
glad enough at having got rid of so troublesome a visitor. 
After that I set my trap several times and caught a number 
of turtles. The smaller ones furnish a charming addition to 
an aquarium, and the larger ones, if properly dressed, make 
a capital stew. 

An Eel-pot 

All along the Atlantic coast eel-pots are made on the 
same general plan, a bottle- shaped basket having a funnel 
fitted at the bottom and provided with a hat that is held 
on by two straps of green oak. 

Three forms are used on which to build up the basket- 

173 



FISHING-TACKLE 



work. The large form is usually ten inches in diameter and 
shaped down to eight inches at the top or neck. This form 
is two feet long and has a round stick driven in the small 
end. This in turn rests in a hole bored in a solid piece of 
plank, so that it is held in an inverted position and revolves 
in the hole. Green oak is used for the ribs and bands. 
This is cut as straight and free from knots as possible, and 
is soaked in water for weeks before it is split and slivered. 
Green oak will sliver in an even and uniform manner if it is 
started right, and from the trunk of an oak-tree six inches 
in diameter enough material can be had to make several 
dozen eel-pots. The ribs are three-quarters of an inch 
wide and about one-eighth of an inch thick, while the bands 
are a trifle thinner and wider. A number of the ribs are 
tied around the form as shown in Fig. i8, and beginning at 
the bottom the bands are woven in and out around the form, 
turning it as the work progresses so that the immediate parts 
are always in sight. Where the ends join they are shaved 
down thin so that one laps over the other; then the weav- 
ing continues until the top is reached. The ends of the ribs 
are then shaved thin and bent back and slipped under some 
of the straps. A thin ribbon of the oak is sewed over and 
over around the edge to finish it. The top or small end of 
the basket is finished in a similar manner. 

The cone or funnel form is fifteen inches long, nine inches 
in diameter at the large end, and tapers down to two inches 
at the bottom as shown in Fig. 19. Ribs are tied to this 
form the same as in the case of the large one, and the weav- 
ing begins at the bottom and is carried to the top, where the 
ends of the ribs are shaved and turned in as before described. 

173 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 




The bottom or small end of the funnel is the trap, and here 
the long, thin ends of the ribs are left, so that the eel, when 
he goes through the funnel and into the pot, cannot get 
back again. 

The hat is woven the same as a basket by crossing the 
ribs and adding a half -rib from the centre anywhere on the 
circle, so as to make an uneven number of ribs; thus the 
weaving will not duplicate after the first turn around the 
circle. This extra rib is shown at A in Fig. 20. A hat form, 
shown in" Fig. 2 1 , is made of wood and mounted on a block 

174 



FISHING-TACKLE 



so that it will revolve the same as the other forms. When 
a part of the hat is woven it is placed on the form and two 
small nails driven through the ribs into the form to hold the 
weaving in place. It is then shaped down over the rounded 
edges of the form and carried one or two inches below the 
form so the lower edges of the ribs can be shaved and bent 
easily. A long strap of the green oak is passed under one 
of the ribs in the hat and caught under banda of the body as 
shown in the drawing of a complete eel-pot. Fig. 22. 

The funnel is sewed to the bottom edge of the body with 
thin bands. As soon as the pots are finished they should 
be sunk in shallow water to keep them wet and get them 
thoroughly water-soaked. 

Stakes or poles are to be driven or worked down into the 
bottom of the bay and the eel-pots made fast to them with 
ropes. To bait an eel-pot crack some hard-shell crabs or 
shrimp or put some pieces of fresh, raw meat within the pot 
and drop it overboard. Run the pots morning and night, 
and remove the eels by unstrapping the cap and dumping 
them into a barrel which may be carried on the boat. 

A Scap-net 

A scap-net for crabbing or landing fish on a hook may 
be made from a ring of heavy galvanized iron driven into 
the end of a hard- wood stick. Scap-nets may be purchased 
in most any general store near a bay or pond, but the in- 
genious boy can make one himself from a hoop and a ball 
of cotton twine. Hang long pieces of string over the ring 
and tie them fast with a square knot. Then tie one string 

175 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

with its next neighbor all around the circle. Begin lower 
down and tie them again, and continue in this manner until 
the net resembles Fig. 23. When it is seven or eight inches 
deep begin to shape it in at the bottom by making the 
meshes or openings smaller so that it will have a roimded 
bottom. The ends of the string should be tied together or 
over a small galvanized-iron sail-ring. All the strings should 
be tied in square knots so that they will not become undone 
after the net has been used for a while. 

A Hoop Drop-net 

A hoop drop-net such as shown at Fig. 24 may easily be 
made from three galvanized- wire rings and a mesh of tied 
string as described for the scap-net. The hoops should be 
eighteen inches in diameter and separated ten inches, thus 
making a net twenty inches deep. A mesh is to be formed 
across the bottom, and at the top six small ropes are tied and 
the ends brought together fifteen or twenty inches above 
the top ring. 

Place some crushed crab or any good bait in the bottom 
of the net and slowly lower it until the rings rest on the 
bottom of the bay or pond, but keep the small ropes clear 
from the net. Watch through the water for visitors, and 
when the right subject is at the bait and within the rings 
give a quick jerk and pull the net rapidly to the surface. 
If fish are to be caught in this manner the hoops should be 
larger and one more added to the net, making it thirty inches 
deep. Fish are cunning and swift, and will often dart up 
and over the top hoop faster than you can haul it up. 

176 



Qiapter X 

LAND-YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES 

A Land-yacht 

A FEW years ago the only kind of yacht known to the 
boys were those that sailed in the water, but in this 
advanced time, when many unheard-of things have been 
made possible, the land- yacht has made its welcome appear- 
ance. Down on the Southern coasts, particularly Florida 
and California, where the sand packs fine and hard, the land- 
yacht is an important feature both for pleasure and business, 
and if properly handled in a good breeze it will run from ten 
to twenty miles an hour. No end of fun can be had with a 
properly constructed boat, and the ingenious boy may em- 
ploy old baby-carriage or bicycle wheels for the running- 
gear. 

A yacht of medium size can be made on the lines of Fig. i 
at a comparatively small cost for the timbers and sail-cloth, 
spars and hardware. The leg-of-mutton sail is used in 
preference to the square sail, as it has the greatest area close 
to the ground and is less liable to upset and much easier to 
handle. 

To begin with, obtain some spruce joist clear-grained and 
free from knots. They should be two-by-four inches and 

177 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

twelve feet long. Cut one of them eight feet long and use 
it for the main cross-piece to which the front wheels are 
attached. Form a V of two twelve-foot joist, and fasten 
them to the cross-piece as shown in Fig. 2. About ten 




inches of each piece should project beyond the cross-piece. 
The timbers are bolted fast and at the rear end they are 
bevelled and brought together, then bolted through from 
side to side as shown in the plan (Fig. 2) . Three feet back of 
the long cross-piece a shorter timber is set in between the 
V-shaped frame as shown at A. At the middle of this timber 
a hole one inch and a half square is cut and into it a tenon 
on the butt-end of the bowsprit fits as shown in Fig. 3. 

178 



LAND-YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES 

The bowsprit is seven feet long and is bolted fast to the 
long cross-piece. Where the end fits into the timber A two 
angle-blocks are nailed fast. Seat-planking is cut and 
screwed or nailed fast to the V-shaped frame as shown in 
both Fig. I and Fig. 2. The boards should be ten inches wide 
and cut to overhang the timbers an inch or two at both ends. 

If the wheels from an old baby-carriage are to be used 
the axle should be cut in half with a hack-saw and each part 
clamped under an end of the cross-timber with U-shaped 
clamps having the ends threaded and provided with nuts 
and washers as shown at Fig. 4. The rear or steering wheel 
is set in a fork that a blacksmith will make from strap-iron, 
and a round piece of the same metal, having a square-headed 
upper end, will do for the rudder-post as shown at Fig. 5. 
A short axle threaded at both ends and provided with nuts 
will hold the wheel in place, and when the post is passed up 
through a hole made in the timbers a tiller can be slipped 
over the square shoulder and bolted fast so that it will stay 
in place. 

The tiller is of hard- wood two inches broad at the rear 
end, one inch in thickness, and tapered so that it will be 
about an inch square with the corners rounded where it is 
grasped by the hand. The handle part of it should be 
bound with linen cord to improve the grip. Give the deck 
wood- work and timbering a few coats of red, buff, or light- 
green paint. 

The mast-step is rigged over the forward cross-timber. 
Two upright pieces of board twenty inches long and eight 
inches wide are attached to the outside edges of the frame- 
joist with screws. On top of these a cross-piece is made 
13 179 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

fast so that the step presents the appearance of a bench. 
Two pieces of board six inches wide are fastened from the 
comers down to the bowsprit and cross-timber to brace the 
step as shown at Fig. 6. An iron brace is made fast to the 
top of the step, behind the mast, and to the bowsprit, as may 
be seen in the illustration. 

A hole three inches in diameter is cut at the middle of the 




step-board, and through this the mast is slipped. A half- 
inch round iron is driven into the bottom of the mast after a 
hole has been bored with a bit. It should be long enough 

i8o 



LAND-YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES 

to project out about two inches. This steps into a hole 
bored in the top of the bowsprit, and with the three wire 
stays that are caught at the top of the mast and into the 
eye-bolts, shown by the arrow-heads in Fig. 2, the mast is 
held securely in place. 

A round pole fourteen feet long may be used for the mast, 
but if it is impossible to find one a very good mast can be 
dressed from a three-inch-square spruce stick that is free 
from large knots or cracks. The dressing may be done 
with a draw-knife and plane, and near the upper end it 
should be tapered. 

The boom is sixteen feet long and two inches in diameter, 
and if it is possible to get a long curtain-pole it will answer 
very well; otherwise it will be necessary to cut it from a 
two-inch-square spruce stick. 

The mast end of the boom is provided with a crotch made 
with two jaws as shown at Fig 7. They are cut from hard- 
wood with a draw-knife and compass-saw, and held to the 
boom with carriage bolts or screws and string bound round 
the three parts. 

The sail is made of heavy, unbleached muslin that can 
be had at a dry-goods store for ten cents a yard. It may 
be sewed by hand or on a machine, and through the middle 
it would be well to take a lop so as to make a strengthening 
rib. The sail measures ten feet on the mast, fifteen feet on 
the boom, and eighteen feet on the leach. It is caught to 
the boom with stout cord and to the mast with wood or 
iron rings, and with a halyard and pulley at mast-head the 
sail may be raised and lowered at will. 

In localities where there are hard roads and where the 

181 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

wind has a good sweep these land- yachts have become very- 
popular. Of course they are much safer than water- boats 
for there is no danger of drowning, and it is quite impossible 
to capsize a land-yacht if the cross-timber is long enough to 
give the wheels a good spread. 

Wheels with rubber tires will make the running motion 
easier and so add to the owner's comfort. 

A Sail-wagon 

For level streets or sidewalks where trees do not interfere 
and where the walks are wide, a sail- wagon will afford much 
amusement. 

In the drawing (Fig. 8) a sail-wagon of medium size and 
simple construction is shown. Obtain a pine, white-wood, 
or spruce plank fifteen inches wide and about one inch thick. 
It should be planed on one or both sides and measure eight 
feet long. Round the ends with a compass-saw and build 
a bridge for the mast, as shown in the drawing. This 
bridge should be twelve inches high, eighteen inches long, 
and eight inches wide, and should be braced underneath with 
angle-brackets. In the middle of the top board cut a hole 
three inches in diameter, and directly under it, in the plank, 
bore a half -inch hole for the mast-pin to step into. 

One foot back from the front end arrange an axle-bar 
three feet long and two by three inches thick. Make an- 
other bar the same size for the rear axle but do not bolt it 
fast. This must be arranged on a king-bolt so that it can 
be turned by a post and tiller. The king-bolt and post 
should be in one piece, and this will have to be made by a 

182 




A SAIL-WAGON 

183 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS ' 

blacksmith. Two round iron plates of metal one-eighth of 
an inch thick and five inches in diameter are provided with 
screw-holes at the outer edge and with round holes at the 
middle. One of these plates is to be attached to the middle 
of the axle, as shown at Fig. 9 A, and the other to the under 
side of the plank in the middle and about ten inches in from 
the end. A hole is to be bored and cut three-quarters of 
an inch square in the axle-tree, and the holes in both iron 
plates are also three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Have 
a blacksmith make an iron post eight inches long and three- 
quarters of an inch in diameter. A piece of iron should be 
welded at the lower end so as to make it three-quarters of 
an inch square for a distance of three inches. At the top 
form a square shoulder an inch long, and above it have a 
short round shank threaded to take a nut as shown in Fig. 
9 B. Drive this shaft up through the square hole in the 
axle-tree, and to prevent it from dropping nail a piece of 
wood or tin over the end of it and to the under side of the 
tree. Slip the round post up through the plate and board 
so that it extends several inches above the top of the board. 
Make a tiller of hard-wood fifteen inches long and three 
inches wide at the post-end and taper it to the handle. 
Cut a square hole in the broad end to fit over the square 
shoulder on the iron post, then screw the nut on over a 
washer to hold the tiller in place. To prevent the tiller 
from splitting near the hole it would be best to bind the 
wood at both ends of the hole with copper wire as shown in 
Fig. 9 C. When the wagon is in motion a turn of the han- 
dle will operate the axle and steer the moving vehicle easily. 
The wheels should be all the same size, but if they cannot 

184 



LAND-YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES 

be had and only a pair of large and small ones are available 
place the smaller ones at the rear. The axle need not run 
the entire length of the axle-tree, but shorter pieces may be 
bolted fast to the ends of the trees. Give the wagon two 
or three coats of paint and it will then be ready for use. 

From spruce or pine cut a mast five feet long and three 
inches in diameter, using a draw-knife and plane to shape it. 
Taper the stick at the top, place an iron band about the 
bottom, and drive a half -inch iron pin into a hole bored in 
the bottom so that two or three inches of it will project. 
The foot of the mast is to be slipped through the hole in the 
bridge and the pin stepped into the hole made in the long 
board directly under it. From two-inch spruce cut a sprit 
seven feet long and a boom seven feet long with a crotch 
formed at one end, as described in the boat chapter. The 
sprit acts as a gaff, and at the same time it does away with 
halyards and makes it possible to use a shorter and stouter 
stick for the mast. 

From unbleached muslin make a sail three feet and six 
inches on the mast, six feet on the boom, three feet at the 
head, and seven feet on the leach. A sail of this proportion 
will set properly, and when the peak is jacked up with the 
sprit the boom will clear the boy on the deck when it swings 
over. To stiffen the sail bind the outer edge with thin rope 
or cotton line a trifle smaller than clothes-line. 

A Ptishmobile 

The pushmobile (Fig. lo) is another interesting road or 
sidewalk car and one with which two boys can share con- 

i8s 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

siderable fun. In general appearance the pushmobile re- 
sembles something between an automobile and a buck-board, 
as there is a long reach between the fore and aft wheels. The 
body consists of a long board one inch and a quarter in thick- 
ness, eighteen or twenty inches wide, and seven feet long. 
Or two nine-inch planks may be fixed together with the bat- 
tens that hold the axles and a shorter one under the seat. 
At the front of the body a keg is mounted and held fast with 
iron straps which go over the top of the keg and are fastened 
to the sides of the large board as may be seen in Fig. lo. 
This keg will represent the engine cover, and at either side of 
it and mounted on the board two tin cans arranged with 
glass at the front will serve as lamps. By perforating the 
tops and sides of these cans a candle may be used or bicycle 
lamps may be substituted for them. The glass is fitted to 
the cans by bending a piece of spring-wire in a circle and 
placing it within the can. Against this wire a circular piece 
of glass will rest, and to hold it in place another wire may be 
slipped within the can. If large baking-powder or coffee 
cans are used the greater portion of the cap may be cut away 
with a tin-shears, leaving a rim and flange just wide enough 
to hold the glass in place. 

The seat is made from a box eighteen inches wide and 
high and arranged with back and sides which can be built 
up six inches above the seat as shown in Fig. lo. This seat 
is to be securely attached to the board with long screws 
driven up through the under side of the board and into the 
lower part of the box. The steering-shaft and wheel are 
arranged about one foot in front of the seat. This is a shaft 
of hard-wood (such as a curtain-pole or any good tough 

i86 



LAND-YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES 

stick) about one inch and a half square or in diameter. It 
mounts on a block of wood which is screwed fast to the large 
board and provided with a hole through which the shaft 
will pass so that it will extend down through the large board. 
A collar of wood or iron is slipped down over the shaft and 
screwed fast to it so as to prevent it from slipping down too 




far. Another collar is provided and made fast at the bottom 
to prevent the steering-cable from slipping off. The ar- 
rangement of the collars and wire is shown at Fig. 1 1 A. At 
the top of the shaft a small wooden wheel should be slipped 
on over a shank that may be cut down in size to fit the open- 
ing in the wheel ; and with a screw the wheel is to be made 
fast to the shaft so that it is held securely in place. 

187 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The rear wheels are attached to an axle that in turn is 
bolted fast to a bar of wood eighteen inches long and two 
by three inches in thickness. These wheels are held in a 
fixed position, and the bar to which they are attached is 
located about a foot in from the end of the long board. The 
front axle is bolted to a movable bar which is held to another 
bar by a king-bolt, so that the lower axle-bar can turn in the 
same way as on a wagon. The bar to which the axle and 
movable bar are attached is located about one foot from the 
front of the long board. This arrangement can be seen at 
Fig. 12, which is a front view showing axle and fifth wheel, 
as the turn-plate between the axle-tree and the body of the 
wagon is called. The fifth wheel is made of two pieces of 
tire-iron, one fastened to the under side of the fixed bar, the 
other to the top of the axle-tree, so that when greased the 
lower part will turn easily. 

Flexible wire-cable or very strong twine should be used 
for the steering-gear. The ends are made fast to the axle- 
tree as shown at A in Fig. 12. Several wraps of the wire or 
twine are taken about the lower end of the shaft, and the 
wire passes through a hole to prevent it from slipping. 
The wire should be attached first at one end of the tree, 
carried to the shaft, and given several turns, then passed 
through the hole. Several more turns are to be made above 
the hole, then the loose end should be attached to the other 
end of the axle-tree. If a small turn-buckle can be had, 
make it fast to the wire and axle at one end so as to 
draw the wire taut and hold it in place, for the tighter 
the wire the better the shaft will act when turned by the 
wheel. 

188 



LAND-YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES 

A brake is to be made fast at one side of the car as shown 
in Fig. lo. Have a blacksmith turn a piece of one-inch thin 
tire-iron for you as shown at Fig. ii B, and bore two holes 
at the short end and two larger ones farther up as indicated 
in the drawing. With screws attach a brake-block to the 
short end, and with a square-headed lag-screw make this 
brake-bar fast to a block fastened at the under side of the 
long board so that the lever and brake-block will act on 
the tire of the wheel. The hand-bar is of iron twenty -four 
inches long and provided with a hole at the lower end 
and another one six inches above it. The upper end of the 
bar is drawn out on the anvil so that a wooden handle 
can be slipped on it, then it is bolted to a block attached 
to the lower front side of the seat as shown in the illustra- 
tion. A stout wire connects the lower end of the hand- 
bar with the top of the brake -bar, so that when the 
handle is pulled back the wire and top end of the brake- 
bar is drawn forward and the block pressed against the 
wheel. 

Several coats of paint will give this pushmobile a good 
appearance and it will then be ready for use. 

One boy on the seat steers the machine, while another 
grasps the overhanging edges of the long board and pushes 
as he runs behind. On level sidewalks or streets a good run 
and push will send the car along at a good speed and the 
pusher can then jump on behind. When going downhill 
both boys can ride, and if the driver has his hands full with 
the wheel and shaft the boy behind can reach forward and 
operate the brake. 

If coasting is done on very steep hills or roads it would be 

189 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

well to have a brake to operate on both rear wheels, for the 
momentum of a rapidly moving car will often drag a " dead " 
wheel if the other three are running easily ; whereas if both 
back wheels are *'dead" the car can be brought to a quick 
stop. 



Chapter XI 

FIRE-ENGINES AND TRUCKS 

The Engine 

EVERY boy is interested in fire-engines and fires, and 
in the absence of the real thing there is a great deal of 
fun to be had in playing fire. The regular steam apparatus 
is rather beyond a boy's constructive ability, but the engine 
shown in the illustration (Fig i) can easily be made from an 
oil or pork barrel, a keg, a pump, and a set of old wagon 
wheels. A box may be used for the seat and a small force- 
pump may be had at a hardware store for a nominal sum. 
The pump should be fitted with a hose-coupling at both inlet 
and outlet, so that a piece of garden hose can be used for the 
suction and force. 

The construction of the body part of the engine is shown 
in Fig. 2. Two rails six inches wide, seven-eighths of an 
inch thick, and six feet long are set wide enough apart for 
the barrel (representing the boiler) to fit between. These 
pieces are securely attached with stout screws to the barrel 
so that a foot of each rail will extend beyond the rear of the 
barrel. At both ends a rail corresponding in width and 
thickness is cut and fitted between the ends of the rails as 
shown at A A, These are to be held in position with long, 

191 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

steel-wire nails or with screws, which always make the best 
and most secure joints. 

To prevent the side-rails from spreading, a cross-rib should 
be made fast to the under side of the side-rails about at the 




middle as shown at B B. This is a precaution taken to 
prevent the rails spreading and letting the heavy barrel full 
of water drop. In addition to the screws that are driven 

192 



FIRE-ENGINES AND TRUCKS 

through the side-rails and into the barrel, it would be well to 
screw a batten fast at each side over the rail as shown at C. 
This lug will help the bearing and take the strain from the 
screws in the rails. 

The truss which holds the keg, or imitation dry-steam 
chest, is made of strips four inches wide, seven-eighths of 
an inch thick, and built up so that the angle stands fifteen 
inches above the top of the side-rails as shown at D. These 
trusses are securely bound at the angle with screws or clinch- 
nails, then screwed fast to the inside of the rails as shown at 
E E. Cut a short piece of board and nail it fast between 
these truss-knees to act as a platform on which to stand the 
keg. Another small platform can be made between the 
truss and barrel on one or both sides of the apparatus to 
accommodate one or two pumps. The smoke-pipe at the 
top of the barrel is cut from an old stove-pipe and is shaped 
as shown in Fig. i . With a tin-shears or snips the ears are 
cut at top and bottom. Those at the top are pointed and 
give a crown effect, but if the plain-rim top is preferred do 
not cut the pipe. At the bottom, slits are cut in the pipe 
two inches in from the edge, about three-quarters of an inch 
apart, and with a fiat-nosed pliers the ears are bent out so 
that they will lie flat on the barrel-top when the smoke-pipe 
is set in place. A piece of tin or zinc is placed on the barrel- 
head under the smoke-pipe, and with large tacks the pipe is 
then made fast. 

When running to a fire some shavings, chips, or cotton 
on which some paraffine has been melted is put in this 
smoke-pipe and lit, and as the engine is drawn along the 
sparks and smoke will shoot out from the top of the pipe in 

193 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

a very realistic manner. The seat is made of a box on top 
of which a back and side-arms are arranged as shown in 
Fig. I , and when it is complete it is attached to the side- 
rails and truss. The upper edges of the side-rails are decked 
over in front of the box so as to make a platform, and at the 
front end of the frame a dash-board is arranged and held in 
position with battens. 

A small, water-tight keg is fastened to the platform be- 
tween the knees of the truss by means of screws passed up 
through the bottom of the platform and into the under side- 
of the keg. One or two openings are made in the keg and 
a hose-coupling driven into them so that the long hose may 
be attached when at a fire. Short lengths of hose and 
couplings extend from the top of the pumps to the keg, so 
that when the pumps are in action the water is forced into 
the keg and out through the openings. There will always 
be a cushion of air above the water which is more or less 
elastic, and when the water is forced in faster than it can 
escape through the nozzles the air-cushion will take care of 
the pressure automatically. 

Small carriage wheels and axles support the frame, and at 
the front a fifth wheel is arranged so that the front wheels 
can be turned. Back of the barrel the frame is decked at 
the under side so as to make a fuel-box where more smoke 
and spark making materials can be stored. It would be 
well to fasten a lid to this compartment so that sparks drop- 
ping from the smoke-pipe will not fall on and ignite the con- 
tents. If it is possible to obtain a force-pump it can be 
mounted on one of the bases arranged at the side of the 
barrel. 

194 



FIRE-ENGINES AND TRUCKS 

The suction-hose should come from the under side of the 
barrel and be attached to the base of the pump. The coup- 
ling to which the long hose is attached should be arranged 
at the side of the keg or it can be screwed directly on the 
outlet of the pump. A short length of the hose — a coupling 
and nozzle — may be supported on hooks and a standing Y 
as shown in Fig. i. The hook on the barrel is made from 
a piece of iron bent as shown at Fig. 3 A, with holes bored 
to receive screws. If the iron is too hard to work a wooden 
bracket can be made, as shown at B, and screwed fast to 
the barrel. 

The Y may be made from strap-iron and a stick, as shown 
at C and D (Fig. 3), the iron being attached to the top of 
the stick which in turn is screwed fast to the truss. A 
pole is made fast to the forward running-gear to drag the 
engine with, and if several boys are to be members of the 
fire company a rope should be made fast to the axle at both 
ends or to the body frame, and the boy nearest the engine 
can steer it with the pole. All the wood-work should be 
painted red and the metal parts with asphaltum varnish, 
which will give them a good appearance, and as it is water- 
proof it will prevent the metal parts from rusting. 

Trip-gongs and signal-lamps should, of course, be pro- 
vided, for without these appurtenances the engine would be 
a flat failure. 

The Hose-carriage 

A hose-carriage (Fig. 4) to accompany the engine is made 
of wood and constructed on the same lines as the engine. 
The frame is made of boards six inches wide, seven-eighths 
*4 195 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

of an inch thick, and is five feet long by two feet wide as 
shown at Fig. 5. A dash-board is made and fastened to the 
front of the frame, and between the dash-board and seat the 
side-rails are decked over to make a platform. The remain- 
ing part of the frame may be left open. Across the under 
side of the frame fasten two cross-bars to which the axles are 
to be made fast. Baby-carriage or small wagon wheels are 
to be used for the hose-carriage, and if the axles should not 
be long enough a blacksmith will weld in a piece at the 
middle so as to make them the required length. 

The reel is made from a round piece of wood and two 
circular sides and arranged so as to revolve in a supporting 
frame. One side of the frame is shown in Fig. 5. It is made 
from wood three inches wide, seven-eighths of an inch thick, 
and the pieces are securely attached at the inside of the side- 
rails with screws and clinch-nails. The sides of the reel are 
made from three pieces of matched boards and are twenty 
inches in diameter. 

Drive three pieces of board together and lay them flat. 
With a pin, a piece of string, and a pencil describe a circle 
twenty inches in diameter using the centre of the middle 
board as a place to drive the pin. After the circle is drawn, 
separate the boards, and with a compass-saw cut the wood 
on the lines. Then drive the boards together again and 
band the outer edge with a piece of box strap-iron, driving 
the nails in about two inches apart all around the edge. 

Attach one end to the flat end of the hub. The other 
piece should have a square hole cut in it so that it will fit 
over the square shoulder cut on the other end of the axle 
as shown at Fig. 6 A. Attach both ends to the axle with 

196 




HOSE-CARRIAGE AND HOOK-AND-LADDER TRUCK 
197 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

long, steel-wire nails, then from a piece of hard-wood cut a 
crank and handle as shown at Fig. 6 B. The crank is ten 
inches long and at both sides of the square hole the wood 
should be bound with wire to prevent its splitting. At the 
opposite end from the crank an iron pin half an inch in 
diameter is to be driven through the side and into the end 
of the hub through a half -inch hole bored with auger or bit 
and brace. This is shown in the drawing of the complete 
reel. Fig. 6 C. 

On the end of the hub and close to the square crank-shaft 
the hub is turned round for a distance of two inches. This 
is the part that will fit in the bearing cut in the supporting 
frame. To hold the reel in position at the top of the truss, 
straps of iron, as shown at Fig. 6 D, are screwed fast over the 
angle when the reel is in place. With a coat or two of paint 
this hose-carriage will be ready for use. 

The Hook-and-Ladder Truck 

To complete the outfit a hook-and-ladder truck (Fig. 7) 
will be necessary, on the racks of which four hooks, three 
ladders, six buckets, and other paraphernalia can be ac- 
commodated. 

The length of the truck will depend somewhat on the 
strength of the wheels that can be had, also on the size of 
the boys in the fire company; but for serviceable use for 
both small and large boys a truck eight feet long will be a 
very good size. The frame or body is made of boards six 
inches wide, seven-eighths of an inch thick, and is eight 
feet long by thirty inches wide. The frame should be braced 

198 



FIRE-ENGINES AND TRUCKS 

across the bottom, at the middle, and near both ends to pre- 
vent it from racking. Two cross-timbers for the axles are 
made fast under the forward and rear ends, and to the for- 
ward one the fifth-wheel bar is made fast so that the front 
wheels can be turned. 

The ladder-rack is constructed from pieces of curtain-pole 
and side uprights, six inches wide at the bottom and tapered 
to three inches at the top. The uprights are attached to the 
inside of the body frame, and the bars on which the ladders 
rest are let into holes in these uprights and keyed as shown 
at Fig. 8 A. The end of the bar is cut across with a saw, and 
when this is passed through a hole in the upright a wedge- 
shaped key is driven in the cut to spread the end of the bar 
and expand it so that it will hold. Some glue on the wedge 
will cause it to stay in place after it has been driven in as far 
as it will go. 

The ladders are made of two spruce rails three inches wide 
and one inch and a quarter thick. The rungs are let into 
holes made in the middle of the rails and keyed fast with 
wedges as just described for the ladder-rails. If a flat rung 
is preferred the rails may be cut in as shown at B in Fig. 8, 
and fiat strips are to be laid in these laps and nailed or screw- 
ed fast. The sharp corners may be planed off so as to make 
the grip easier to the hands. The ladders may vary from 
seven to twelve feet in length and from eighteen to twenty- 
four inches wide, preferably the wider ones, as they are safer 
and will not slide sidewise as a narrower ladder is apt to do. 

The dash-board and forward deck are supported on two 
bracket-plates made fast to the forward part of the body 
frame, and on the deck planking a box-seat with sides and 

199 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

back is to be made fast. Stout iron hooks are driven in 
along both sides of .the body between forward and rear 
wheels, and on them ordinary wooden pails or buckets may 
be hung. Two sets of hooks arranged at the outer side of 
the ladder supports will hold the long handles of fire-hooks, 
and a scaling-ladder can be hung under the truck. 

The goose-neck of a scaling-ladder should be made of 
tempered iron by a blacksmith, and all the wood-work 
should be of hickory. The plan for a scaling-ladder is 
shown in Fig. 9. The stick is three by one and a half inches 
and the rungs are three-quarters by two inches, driven 
through mortises cut in the stick twelve inches apart and 
held by a steel nail driven through the centre. The goose- 
neck base is divided like the front-wheel fork of a bicycle 
and with corresponding holes bored in each side. Bolts 
should be passed through them and the head of the stick 
so as to hold the iron straps securely. Good, strong hickory 
may be had from a wheelwright or wagon-builder, and care 
should be taken to cut the mortises accurately so that the 
parts will fit snugly together. Ladder-building is different 
from ordinary carpentry, and pains should be taken to have 
all the joints very tight so that they will not rack. 



Chapter XII 

WATER-WHEELS 

ALL boys like to play about the water, and dams and 
ii. water machinery afford an endless amount of amuse- 
ment. Moreover, the pastime has its useful side. Once you 
get a wheel in operation with a shaft and pulley attached, it 
is then a simple matter to harness your power and make it 
do all sorts of things, such as sawing wood, churning milk, 
operating a fan on hot days, and even turning a grindstone 
or light wood- working machinery. 

There are three kinds of wheels, the overshot, breast, and 
undershot. The overshot is the most powerful, for it is not 
only moved by the weight of water that it holds but also by 
the force of the onrushing water from the sluice arranged 
to feed it. The breast-wheel is the next in power and is 
used where the fall of water is not so great. The undershot 
wheel is employed in a rapidly running brook or stream 
where there is no dam or body of headwater. This form of 
wheel is the least powerful and the most unreliable, for the 
height of the watercourse is liable to change according to 
seasons and storms. While at one time it may be flushed 
up to the hub, at another the water may hardly touch the 
blades of the wheel. 

These forms of old-style wheels have become almost ob- 

201 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

solete now as the modern turbine has superseded it as a 
means of employing water as a motive power. Less than 
one-quarter of the surface of the old-time wheels would be 
actively engaged at any one time, and the waste of power 
was appalling as compared with the sluice-box and pen-stock 
of the modern turbine where every drop of water is lending 
its influence to the blades. A turbine, however, is rather 
beyond the ability of the average boy to properly con- 
struct, and so we do the best we can with the old-style 
wheels. For a boy's purpose they will answer quite well 
enough. 

In the accompanying drawings several ideas for water- 
wheels are shown, and among them a boy should be able to 
find one that he can make from boards and sticks, at a slight 
cost, and which if properly rigged and adjusted will develop 
a considerable amount of power. 

A Simple Paddle-wheel 

The simple paddle-wheel, as shown at Fig. i, is made 
from an axle three inches square, four spokes, and four 
boards. For a wheel of medium size that will develop about 
one-eighth of a horse-power the axle should be four feet long. 
One end is rounded for a distance of four inches as shown at 
A, and with bit and chisel two mortises are cut in opposite 
directions as shown at A. These holes are one inch and a 
quarter wide and three inches long. Into them the spokes 
are driven and held with screws or iron pins. Another pair 
of holes are cut thirty inches from the first and two more 
spokes driven in them. The spokes are thirty inches long, 

202 



WATER-WHEELS 



thus leaving thirteen and a half inches of each one projecting 
beyond the axle or hub. 

The paddle blades are boards thirty inches long, ten 
inches wide, and seven-eighths of an inch thick. They are 
attached to the spokes with carriage -bolts and washers. 

A rounded bearing two inches wide is cut in the axle 
beyond the spokes so as to correspond with the other end, 
and beyond this the axle is left square. Bearings for this 
wheel are made in the edge of a stout plank notched as 
shown at B, and held in place by irc)n straps as also depicted 
at B. Long screws or screw-bolts, commonly known as lag- 
screws, will hold the strap in place, and from the square end 
of the shaft the connection is made for power. In place of 
the iron strap another piece of wood may be cut and clamped 
down over the axle end as shown at C. 

A Wagon Wheel 

Another variety of water-wheel may be made from the 
hubs and spokes of two old wheels, preferably those from a 
buggy or light wagon. Fig. 2. 

Remove the iron boxes from the hubs by driving them 
out, then cut a hole in each hub with a chisel and mallet, as 
shown at A, so they will be at least an inch and a half square. 
From hickor3^ or other hard-wood make an axle the size of 
the holes and arrange the hubs on it so they will be thirty 
inches apart. One side of each spoke should be cut as shown 
at B in order that the blades may rest against a flat place 
instead of a rounded surface. The blades should be from 
thirty to thirty-six inches long and ten or twelve inches wide, 

203 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

and held to the spokes with carriage or tire bolts. This wheel 
may be swung in bearings as described in Fig. i, and from 
the square end of the axle the power can be taken. 

Both of these wheels may be used as over or undershot 
but not as breast-wheels, for a breast -wheel must have 
pockets to hold the water, and the overshot-wheel should 
have them too if all the available force and weight of water 
is to be employed. 

A, Barrel-wheel 

A very simple and efficient device is shown in the drawing 
of a barrel- wheel (Fig. 3). This consists of an oil or pork 
barrel having tight ends and staves, a number of blades, and 
some siding-boards. 

The blades are of hard-wood ten inches wide and the 
length of the barrel. One edge of each blade is cut to con- 
form with the bilge of the barrel as shown at A, and with 
three or four long screws each blade is made fast to the 
barrel at the middle. The ends of the barrel are replanked 
so as to build their surface even with the projecting edges 
of the staves, then some matched boards are nailed or 
screwed to the heads to bind together the ends of the blades. 
Screws are passed through the boards and into the ends of 
the blades to make them secure, and in this manner a hollow 
wheel is made with pockets around the outside. 

A square hole should be cut in each end of the barrel and 
into them an axle is driven. It is provided with rounded 
bearings and square end. When swung in a carriage and 
connected a powerful wheel will be the result if the force of 
water is sufficient to drive it. 

204 




F/G 3 



3 /v^^ 



WATER-WHEELS 
205 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



An Undershot-whccI 

For a brook an undershot-wheel can be made with two 
round ends and ten or twelve blades according to the size of 
the wheel. For an efficient one the wheel should be thirty- 
six or forty-eight inches in diameter and thirty inches wide. 
Two ends are made from matched boards held together with 
battens as shown in Fig. 4 A. These are arranged on a 
square axle and the blades are made fast between them with 
long screws or steel nails. Fig. 4 B. 

A Power-wheel 

To utilize the power from a rapidly running brook place 
two tree-trunks across the brook about six feet apart as 
shown in Fig. 5. On top of these timbers attach two spruce 
beams eight or ten inches wide and two inches thick, and 
anchor them well with spikes and check-blocks. At the 
middle and on top of both timbers cut notches for the axle 
to fit in and provide them with metal straps to hold the 
axle in place. A long axle leading to the land can be 
supported on a short timber attached to stout stakes 
driven in the ground, and another bearing and strap will 
hold this from jumping with the rapid revolutions of the 
wheel. A wooden pulley may be arranged at the end of 
this axle, and from it the power can be taken off by means 
of belting or rope. 

Another arrangement for this wheel will be to swing it in 
a cradle or frame so that one end of it may be lifted to reduce 

206 




^^.-'^'■■"■'-■'^■A ''' '.lfi:-42t£iLttEl^', '|.£i_LilM!ik 




' '. ' -: -■ ■■,■ . ■ ■ 'i'\'hj\ 



/' "% 



POWER-WHEEL AND WHEEL-RACE 
207 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

the speed or power of the wheel, the other end being 
securely attached to a tree-trunk with hinges. 

A Wheel-race 

The water from a wide, shallow brook may be directed so 
as to throw its full force against the blades of a wheel by 
digging it out at the middle and damming it at the sides as 
shown by the diagram of a modified brook (Fig. 6). The 
dams should be solidly built and if possible cribbed to pre- 
vent their washing away. 



Part III 
AFLOAT 



Chapter XIII 

BOATS 

OF all the things that a boy is interested in there is 
nothing more fascinating than boats, whether they are 
to row, paddle, or sail in, and, as many of the simple kinds 
are quite within the ability of a boy to make, he can take 
a great deal of pleasure in their construction. 

For the sea-shore and salt waterways the boats should 
be heavily constructed, and as this is usually beyond the 
average boy's ability, the sea-going dorys, surf -boats, and 
heavy sail-boats will be omitted, and those described and 
illustrated will be for use in fresh water, or on small enclosed 
salt waterways where the wind and tide are moderate. 

In making a boat it is not only necessary to have it float, 
but to construct it in such a manner that the joints will 
keep closed and the boards will not rip off if run on a snag 
or against a rocky shore. 

These are essential points in the proper construction of 
boats, and they might as well be learned by the amateur 
boat -builder when he is young, instead of constructing 
something for fun and having to learn the right way all 
over again when he is older and more serious work begins. 

In this chapter a few of the simpler forms of boats are 
shown, and the warning must be given at the start that the 

IS 211 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

young shipwright should use the greatest care in con- 
structing a boat, not only for the natural pride they will take 
in making a good, one, but for the still more important 
reason that the safety of all on board is dependent upon his 
skill and conscientious work. 

Ptint and Scow 

A punt with a flat bottom is about the easiest and 
safest boat for a boy to make and own, for it is straight in 
construction and difficult to upset if not overloaded. As 
both ends are the same it can be rowed or poled forward or 
backward, and the overhanging ends allow plenty of seating 
room. 

The punt shown in Fig. 4 is fifteen feet long, nineteen 
inches deep, and four feet wide. The ends cut under 
twenty inches, and at one end a skag and rudder can be 
arranged as shown in Fig. 2. 

The sides are made of two boards, one of six and the 
other of a twelve-inch width, and the added thickness of 
the bottom boards make the total depth of the sides nine- 
teen inches. The wider boards are the lower ones, and they 
are fastened together near both ends and at the middle 
with battens as shown in Fig. 4. The middle battens are 
six inches wide, and into the upper ends of them the row- 
lock pins are driven. The bottom planking should not be 
more than four or five inches wide, and it is securely 
nailed to the edges of the sides and to an inner keel-strip 
running the entire length of the bottom as shown in Fig. 3. 

The wood should be very dry so that it will not shrink 

212 



Fig,1 





/^/q2 




PUNT AND SCOW 
213 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



afterwards and open the seams. Along the edges, and 
before the planking is laid or nailed on, smear white-lead, 
and lay one or two thicknesses of lamp-wicking on the lead, 
so that when the ends of the planking are driven down 
it makes a water-tight joint. Where the planks butt up 
against the other planking, the joints are to be generously 
smeared with white-lead and laid with a string of the lamp- 
wicking. Begin at one end and work towards the other, 
having first attached the end planks. Fig. 3 A. 

The method of attaching the skag is also shown in Fig. 
3 , and if the punt shows a tendency to swing around in the 
water and not mind the oars or rudder, a keel three inches 
wide may be attached on the bottom of the punt to run from 
the forward end of the straight bottom back to the end of 
the skag. 

The bottom planking is to be attached at both sides and 
to the inner keel-strip with galvanized nails. Do not use 
ordinary nails as they will rust in a short time, and the 
only ones that are of use are the regular galvanized boat 
nails that can be had at most hardware stores, and always 
at a ship-chandler's or from a boat-builder. 

A rudder can be made and hung at one end of the boat 
as shown in Fig. 2. 

A scow (Fig. i) will be found the easiest of all boats to con- 
struct, but at the same time the hardest to row, since both 
the ends are blunt and vertical. A scow is for use in 
shallow water and is poled generally instead of being rowed. 
It is built in a similar manner to the punt, but the ends are 
not cut under. A good size to make the scow for general 
use will be fourteen feet long, eighteen inches deep, and four 

214 



BOATS 



feet wide. It may be provided with two or three seats, and 
when complete both the pimt and scow should receive two 
or three good coats of paint. 

A Sharpy 

It is not a difficult matter to make a sharpy like the one 
shown in Fig. 5, but care must be taken in its construction 
to insure good imions and tight joints. 

Cedar, white-wood, pine, or cypress are the best woods of 
which to build small boats, and wide boards can be had at 
almost any lumber-yard. White cedar is somewhat more 
difficult to get than the other woods, but if possible it should 
be used. 

To make this sharpy the proper size for a boy's use, ob- 
tain two boards fifteen or sixteen inches wide, fourteen feet 
long, and seven-eighths of an inch thick, planed on both 
sides and as free from knots as possible. If the boards can- 
not be had fifteen inches wide, then batten two boards 
together with strips just as plain board doors are made. 
Before they are fastened, however, smear the joint edges 
with white-lead and embed a string of lamp-wicking through 
the middle. Use plenty of white-lead, and after the boards 
are pressed together and fastened the surplus lead can 
be scraped from both sides of the joint and saved for other 
joints. 

From a piece of hard -wood cut a stem eighteen inches 
long and four inches wide, with bevelled planes, as shown 
in Fig. 6. A section or end view of this post will appear 
like Fig. 6 A. Against the cut-in sides of this post the bow 

215 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

ends of the side boards are to be attached with screws or 
galvanized boat nails. 

The long side boards are to be cut at bow and stern as 
shown at Fig. 7 A and B. The bow recedes three inches 
and the stern is cut under thirty-four inches. Attach the 
bow ends of the boards to the stem-piece or post so that 
the top of the sides will be seven-eighths of an inch below 
the flat top of the post. If properly done you will then 
have a V-shaped affair resembling a snow-plough, which 
must be bent and formed in the shape of a boat. 

From a board seven - eighths of an inch thick cut a 
spreader ten inches wide, forty-eight inches long at one side, 
and forty-two inches at the other, as shown in Fig. 8. Ar- 
range this between the boards about midway from bow to 
stern, so that the bottom of the spreader is flush with the 
bottom of the sides ; then draw in the rear ends of the boards 
and tie them temporarily with a piece of rope. 

Drive a nail into the edge of each board near the end, to 
• prevent the rope slipping off, for if it should do so the 
boards would fly apart and might break away from the 
stem-piece. 

In order to draw in the ends to the proper position, in- 
sert a short stick between the ropes and twist it around 
until the rope is wound up; then if the end is not in far 
enough, slip another rope around the ends of the boards, 
and after releasing the first rope insert the stick and con- 
tinue the twisting until the ends of the side boards are 
twenty-one inches apart. Before this bending process is 
begun, it would be well to pour a kettleful of boiling water 
over each side board to limber them, for dry boards are 

216 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

stiff and will not bend easily without checking or cracking. 
If it is possible to steam the boards they will yield still 
better to the bending process. 

The stern-plank is cut in the same shape as the spreader, 
but it is curved or crowned at the top, where it is twenty- 
three inches long, while at the bottom it measures twenty 
inches. It is six inches wide at the ends and nine inches 
at the middle, and is attached to the ends of the sides with 
boat nails while the tension-rope is still in place. 

An inner keel is then cut six inches wide and pointed at the 
bow end, where it is attached to the lower edges of the sides 
at the bow and flush with them. The planking or bottom 
boards should fit snugly to it and to the edges of the sides. 

A lap six inches long and seven-eighths of an inch deep 
is cut in the bottom of the spreader at the middle. In this 
the inner keel will fit, and after the first two or three bottom 
boards are nailed on at the bow end the frame of the sharpy 
will appear as shown in Fig. 9. The spreader and stern- 
plank will give the sides a flare which will have a tendency 
also to curve the bottom of the boat slightly from bow to 
stern. The bottom planks are four inches wide, of clear 
wood, and must not have tongue and grooved edges, but 
should be plain so that the white-lead and lamp-wicking 
will make a tight joint when the planks are driven up snug 
to each other. 

Drive all nails carefully so as not to split the planking or 
sides, and as a precaution a small bit or gimlet should be 
used to make the start for the nail-hole. 

A seat ten inches wide is fastened at the middle of the 
boat, over the spreader, and seats may also be arranged 

218 



BOATS 



at the bow and stern, where they rest on cleats that are 
screwed fast to the sides. 

A short keel or skag is fastened to the under side of the 
sharpy and extends from about under the middle seat aft 
to the stern-post. A V-shaped p'ece is let in where the 
stern is cut tinder as shown in Fig. lo. This keel prevents 
the sharpy from turning about quickly and serves to steady 
her when rowing, as well as making a deeper stern-post 
to which a rudder may be hung as shown in Fig. 2. Six 
inches to the rear of the middle seat plates of wood six 
inches wide are attached to the sides of the sharpy, as shown 
in the illustration (Fig. 5), and on the tops of these oar- 
locks or pins are inserted after the usual fashion. 

At the outside of the sides and an inch below the top edge 
a gimwale-strip is made fast, and with a ring in the bow 
for a painter and a pair of oars the sharpy is ready for use. 

Of course it should be thoroughly painted. Three or 
fotir successive coats of paint should be applied to a boat 
the first time it is painted, and before using, it should be 
launched, half filled with water, and allowed to stand for a 
few days so that the joints will swell and close properly. 
A mast six or eight feet high and a leg-of-mutton sail will 
enable a boy to sail before the wind in a quiet breeze, but 
rough - weather sailing should not be attempted in this 
style of open boat. 

A Dory 

A dory (Fig. 11), is somewhat similar to a sharpy but 
has higher sides and a narrower bottom, therefore it draws 
more water than a wide, flat -bottomed sharpy. 

219 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

A boy can make a dory from twelve to sixteen feet long, 
but a fourteen-foot dory will be quite large enough to hold 
from four to six boys comfortably and safely. The sides 
should be twenty-four inches high and the bottom twenty- 
four inches across amidships. 

The bottom is made from four six-inch planks battened 
across as shown in Fig. 12. The joints are leaded before 




/=^/6 // 




the boards are brought together, and the fastenings are of 
galvanized nails clinched at the inside. The battens, of 
course, are on the inside, but the nail-heads are on the out- 
side or bottom of the boat. 

A stem and stern-piece (Fig. 13 A and B) are cut from 



220 



BOATS 



hard -wood, and to these the wooden sides are made fast 
at both ends. The bow and stern of a dory have more of 
a rake than those of a sharpy as may be seen in Fig. ii. 
The top of the bow extends out beyond the bottom at least 
from fifteen to twenty inches, while the stern overhangs the 
keel about twelve inches. The sides flare out nine inches at 
both sides amidships, so that the total width of beam is 
forty-two inches for a dory fourteen feet long. 

Planks sixteen feet long are necessary with which to 
make this dory, for when they are sprung out at the sides 
they take up on the length. They can be six inches wide, 
and are made fast to ribs along the inside of the boat and 
attached with galvanized boat nails. 

In Fig. 14 an amidships section of the dory is shown and 
the position of the seat is located. ^ Along the top of the 
sides, to cap them and the upper ends of the ribs, rails two 
inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick are made 
fast with boat nails. These rails should be of hard-wood, 
and they should be sprung into place and securely fast- 
ened. 

A dory of this description makes an ideal fishing -boat 
where the water is rough, since it can be rowed either for- 
ward or backward. 

A Sailing Sharpy 

A rowing sharpy can be converted into a sail -boat by 
partially decking it over, making a mast -step, and pro- 
viding it with a lee-board if a centre-board cannot be ar- 
ranged in the middle of the hull. Fig. 18. 

The half -deck will keep out the water that might splash 

221 




A SAILING SHARPY 
222 



BOATS 



over the sides or come over the bow and stern, and the row- 
boat features need not be altered nor the seats removed, 
as the rib and brace work for the deck can easily be fitted 
and fastened over the seats, and so give additional strength 
to the deck. 

Just behind the front seat and at the forward edge of the 
back seat cross-ribs are made fast to the sides of the sharpy. 
Between these, and eight inches from the sides of the boat, 
additional braces are sprung into place and securely at- 
tached at the ends, and provided with short cross -braces 
as shown in Fig. 15. The deck planking is nailed to these 
ribs and the seats under them give a substantial support 
to both the ribs and deck. The opening or cockpit will be 
six feet long and varying in width, as the side decks are 
eight inches wide and follow the line of the boat's sides. 
Amidships it should measure about twenty-eight inches. 

The braces and ribs are made of three-quarter-inch spruce 
boards five or six inches wide, and to bend them in the seg- 
ment of a circle (as they will have to be for the side-ribs) 
pour hot water over two of them and place the ends on boxes 
with heavy stones at the middle to bend them down to the 
required curve. Allow them to remain in this position for 
several hours to dry in the sun ; they may then be cut and 
fitted to the boat. The decking is done with narrow strips 
of pine, cypress, or cedar one inch and a half wide and three- 
quarters of an inch in thickness. They are bent to conform 
to the side lines of the boat, and if they are fitted nicely and 
leaded the deck should be water-tight after it receives varnish 
or paint. 

If straight boards are employed in place of the narrow 

223 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

planking the deck can be covered with canvas and first given 
a coat of oil, then several successive thin coats of paint. The 
canvas should be tacked down over the outer edge of the 
boat and to the inner edge of the cockpit. A gunwale-strip 
an inch square is to be nailed along the top edge on both 
sides of the boat, and one inch below the top of the deck nail 
a guard rail along each side. 

To finish the cockpit arrange a combing in place to pro- 
ject four inches above the deck, and make the boards fast to 
the inner side of the ribs with screws as shown in the illustra- 
tion of the hull of sailing sharpy. Fig. 1 5 . 

Ten inches back from the bow-post bore a hole two inches 
and a half in diameter so that a mast will fit securely in place. 
The hole should extend through the deck and front seat, and 
a step-block with a hole in it to receive the foot of the mast 
must be nailed fast to the bottom of the boat. The hole in 
this block is oblong, and the foot of the mast should be cut 
on two sides so as to fit in the block as shown in Fig. 16. 

Spruce or clear pine sticks are to be dressed and planed 
for the mast and boom, the mast measuring fourteen feet 
high by two inches and a half at the base, and the boom 
thirteen feet long by two inches in diameter, both tapering 
near the end. 

The rudder is eighteen inches long, including the post, and 
ten inches high. It is fastened to a post of hard-wood three 
inches wide and seven-eighths of an inch thick. At the top 
of this an iron strap is fastened to hold the tiller as shown in 
Fig. 17 A. The rudder is hung to the stern of the boat with 
pins and sockets, as shown in Fig. 17 B, so that if it becomes 
necessary the rudder may be unshipped by lifting it out 

224 



BOATS 



of the sockets or eyes. The rudder is fastened to the post 
with galvanized-iron pins ten inches long and three-eighths 
of an inch in diameter driven through snug holes bored in 
the wood as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 17 B. 

It is impossible to hold a boat on the wind without a 
centre-board, but as this sharpy has none a lee -board will 
be required to keep her from drifting leeward. Fig. 18. 

This board can be made five feet long, thirty inches wide, 
and hung over the lee side when running on the wind, where 
ropes and cleats will hold it in place. The board may be 
made of three planks banded together at the rear end with 
a batten, and at the forward end it is strapped across with 
bands of iron as shown in Fig. 18. 

With a sail of twilled or heavy unbleached muslin this 
boat may be driven through the water at five or six miles 
an hour, and two boys can have a great deal of fun out of 
her. Care should be exercised in handling the boat ; and be 
sure to reef the sail in case of a strong breeze. 

A Centre-board Sharpy 

When making a sharpy to sail in, a trunk and centre-board 
should be built when the keel is laid so that the cumbersome 
and unhandy lee-board may be done away with. The cen- 
tre-board is housed in the trunk, through which it can be 
raised or lowered as occasion requires. 

The arrangement of the trunk in the boat is shown in 
Fig. 19, and it is located so that the front of the trunk is 
three feet from the bow. For a centre-board one inch and 
a quarter in thickness the trunk should be one inch and 

225 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

three-quarters wide between sides, five feet long, and eigh- 
teen inches high. It is made of tongue-and-grooved boards 
one inch and one-eighth in thickness, and these are attached 
by stout screws to posts one inch and three-quarters square 
at bow and stern. The trunk is mounted on the keel, set in 
white-lead, and securely fastened with screws. A slot is cut 
in the keel the same size as the inside opening of the trunk — 
that is, two inches wide and about five feet long. The bot- 
tom planking is butted against the sides of the trunk at the 
middle of the boat as shown in Fig. 20. 

An inner keel is laid over the bottom planking through 
the centre of the boat from stem to stern, and where it fits 
around the trunk it is cut out. Both the inner and outer 
keels are six inches wide and the exposed edges are bevelled 
with a plane. A sectional or end view of the trunk and its 
location in the keels is shown in Fig. 20, where the shading 
and lettering will designate each part. 

The centre-board is four feet and nine inches long, thirty 
inches wide at the back, and twenty-four inches at the front. 
It is attached to the trunk with a hard-wood pin located 
near the forward lower end, and when it is drawn up it will 
appear as shown in Fig. 2 1 A, but when lowered it will look 
like Fig. 21 B. 

The centre-board is made of hard- wood, several boards of 
which are pinned together with galvanized-iron rods three- 
eighths of an inch in diameter and driven through from edge 
to edge of the boards in snug holes made with a long bit or 
auger. The rods are riveted at both ends over washers to 
prevent the boards from working apart. 

It would be better to let a boat-builder or carpenter make 

226 




^OUTER KEEL 

A CENTRE-BOARD SHARPY 



z6 



227 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

this board the proper size and shape to fit the trunk, for it is 
the most difficult thing to construct about a boat and some- 
what beyond the abiUty of many boys. A large galvanized 
eye and a rope made fast below the middle of the board at 
the rear edge will provide the means for raising and lower- 
ing the centre-board. 

The deck ribs and the planking are put in the same as 
described for the sailing sharpy. 

A Proa 

In the South Sea Islands the natives dig out the trunk of 
a tree, rig a lateen sail on a single stick, and arrange a coun- 
ter-balance on the end of two poles in the form of a catama- 
ran. With this rude contrivance they can outsail anything 
in the shape of a small boat such as our types of cat-boats 
and sharpies. 

These queer craft are called proas, and a modified 
type that a boy can make is shown in the illustration 

Fig. 22. 

This is a perfectly safe boat, and as it lies close on the 
water a great deal of fun can be had with one in compara- 
tively smooth waterways. 

To make the hull get two ten-inch planks sixteen feet long 
and spring them five feet from either end so that they come 
together at both ends and are separated fifteen inches along 
the middle for five or six feet as shown in Fig. 23. Between 
the sides place four or five spreaders, two of which should be 
stout enough to receive the bolts that will hold the two cross- 
braces or outriggers. Set a step-block for the mast, then 

228 




n^^^^Zni 



/^/G^S 




A PROA 
229 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



plank the deck and bottom, using plenty of white-lead and 
lamp-wicking between the joints. 

The cross-braces or outriggers are of two-by-four-inch 
clear spruce six feet long, and their outer ends are bolted to 
a solid spruce timber twelve feet long, four inches wide, and 
ten inches deep. They should be sharpened at both ends 
with an adze, draw-knife, or a chisel and plane. 

A mast twelve feet long and three inches in diameter is 
stepped seven feet from the bow, and to it a lateen rig is 
lashed fast having the gaff eighteen feet long and the boom 
fifteen feet in length. 

A block and tackle at the bow will pay off the angle and 
another at the stern will regulate the position of the sail. 

Cross-wires for braces may extend under the short decking 
to steady the outrigger and keep it from racking the braces, 
and three or four narrow planks can be laid across the braces 
close to the large boat on which the boy and a friend or two 
may sit when sailing. 

A rudder may be attached to the stern of the large boat, 
as shown in Fig. 17, or an oar can be used to steer with. 

Paint the boats any desired color, and for the first time 
give them at least three or four thin coats not less than two 
days apart, so that one will dry thoroughly before the next 
one is laid on. Never put thick or gummy paint on a boat ; 
thin it down and apply two coats rather than one thick one. 

A Lark 

Perhaps the safest kind of a sailing-craft next to a cata- 
maran is a lark with a broad beam and flat at both bow 

230 



BOATS 



and stern. There are various forms of the half -rater, but 
the one shown in Fig. 24 is easy to construct and requires 
less careful fitting and joining than the hulls with pointed 
bows and long, overhanging sterns. 

In general construction this hull is similar to the punt, 
and when putting it together the description for the building 
of the punt must be borne in mind. 




Obtain two clear cedar planks sixteen feet long and from 
fourteen to sixteen inches wide. Four feet from either end 
begin to round the lower edges of these side boards. Cut 
two spreaders five feet and six inches long and make them 

231 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

fast foiir feet from the ends of the sides as shown at Fig. 25. 
Between these spreaders attach an inner keel in the forward 
end of which an opening has been made. The keel is of 
hard-wood eight inches wide and the opening is three inches 
and a half in width and four feet and eight inches long. 

A centre-board trunk is made and fitted into this opening 
as described for the sailing sharpy. Then braces are fast- 
ened between the sides and trunk as shown at Fig. 26. 

Two bevelled hard-wood bow and stern pieces are cut as 
shown at Fig. 2 7 . The ends of the boards are sprung in and 
attached to the ends of these pieces, and between them and 
the spreaders two more boards are fastened as indicated* by 
the lines of nail-heads in Fig. 26. At the bow just ahead of 
the forward long cross-piece or spreader step the mast, and 
at the stern make the rudder-post trunk, taking care to use 
plenty of white-lead and lamp-wick so as to render the 
joints water-tight. Put a line of braces through the middle 
of the frame, then begin at the bow and plank the bottom 
with boards not more than three or four inches wide. 

With the planking on and the braces, spreaders, and trunk 
in position the frame will appear as shown in Fig. 28. The 
deck planking is of strips seven-eighths of an inch thick and 
three inches wide. Begin at the middle of the boat by lay- 
ing down a strip six inches wide by one inch and a quarter 
in thickness. Drive the deck planking close to this and 
smear the points with white-lead in which the lamp-wicking 
is embedded. Make all the fastenings with galvanized boat 
nails and drive the heads well into the wood with a nail- 
punch so they can be puttied and covered from the action 
of the water. An outer fiat keel is laid along the bottom 

232 




y^/G 2S' 




^G^6 



/=^/G 29 




/='yG£8 



A LARK 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



of the hull from the forward part of the cockpit or about 
under the mast. This leads aft to where the stern begins 
to round up and there it is stopped. 

This keel is attached with galvanized or brass screws, and 
a generous number are driven through the keel into the 
bottom edges of the centre-board trunk. 

The rudder is made from galvanized sheet-iron as shown 
at Fig. 29, and is let into a one-and-a-quarter-inch round iron 
rudder-post and riveted fast. Just above the rudder-blade 
a collar of iron is welded to the post and this bears against 
the bottom of the boat. To prevent the rudder from drop- 
ping down a pin is passed through a hole in the post close to 
the deck and a large washer made fast to the deck will pre- 
vent the pin from chafing the wood. 

Have the top of the post made with a square shank so 
that a tiller may fit over it and be held in position by a nut. 

The rudder-blade should be twenty-six inches long and 
twelve inches wide. 

The mast is fifteen feet long, cut from a four-inch spruce 
stick with draw-knife and plane. The boom is fifteen feet 
long, cut from a two-and-one-half-inch spruce stick, and the 
gaff is eleven feet long. 

Extending out from the mast and attached to the deck 
is a short bowsprit five feet and six inches long. This is of 
two-by-three-inch spruce with the sharp corners rounded 
off beyond the end of the boat. 

A wire f orestay and two shrouds lead from mast-head to 
bowsprit and to both sides of the boat as shown in Fig. 24. 

The main-sheet is seven feet on the mast, ten feet on the 
gaff, fourteen feet at the foot or on the boom, and eighteen 

234 



BOATS 



feet on the leach. The jib is eleven feet on the forestay, 
five feet at the foot, and ten feet on the leach. The blocks 
are all of galvanized iron or wood, and three-eighth-inch 
Manila-rope should be used for the halyards and sheets. 

This lark will ride well on the water, and if properly 
rigged it should be a very speedy boat. 

A Power-boat 

A novel feature for the propulsion of a flat-bottom boat 
or punt is shown in Fig. 30. Two small paddle-wheels 
attached to one shaft are hung out over the stern, and by 
means of a sprocket on the shaft connected to another and 
larger one on the seat frame the wheels are turned by the 
boys who mount the seats and work the pedals. 

The punt is fifteen feet long on the deck line and six feet 
wide. The side boards are twelve inches wide, and with the 
thickness of the deck and bottom planking it will make the 
total depth about fourteen inches. Through the middle a 
strengthening rib is run the same size and thickness as the 
outer sides as shown in Fig. 31. This gives an additional 
rib to nail the sheathing boards to and also an anchorage to 
which the uprights forming the seat frame can be made fast 
with bolts. 

The outriggers that suspend the wheels are of spruce two 
inches thick and three inches wide. They are bolted to the 
deck and at the outer end U-notches are cut for the axle of 
the wheels to fit into and capped with iron straps such as 
shown in Fig. 32. A blacksmith will make these for you 
from strap-iron an eighth of an inch thick and two inches 

235 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

wide. They should be bolted on when the wheels are in 

position, for they not only have to support the weight of the 

wheels but also stand the action of the water against them. 

The wheels are each twenty-four inches in diameter and 




BOATS 



two feet long, and are made from wood seven-eighths of 
an inch in thickness. Seven blades eight inches wide are 
screwed fast to the sides or held in place with long, galvan- 
ized boat nails. 

The axle is of spruce two inches square, and the wheel 
sides are provided with square holes through which the axle 
is driven as shown in Fig. ;^i,. The ends of the axle are band- 
ed with iron, or copper wire may be wound round them to 
prevent their splitting. Into the ends half -inch round iron 
pins are driven which revolve in the bearings. 

The seat-frame is thirty inches high and made from spruce 
rails three inches wide and one inch and a half in thickness. 
On the middle upright a large and small gear wheel are 
arranged on an axle with the cranks and pedals, and on the 
front post a small wheel is attached so that tandem power 
may be used on the paddle-wheels or one boy alone can 
work the boat. A rod and handle-bars may be arranged for 
the rear boy to grasp, and with a socket and set -screw it 
can be raised' or lowered at will. 

The forward bars have a cross-piece of iron at the foot of 
the vertical rod. This is two feet long, and from the ends of 
it running aft wires connect with the ends of a tiller for 
operating the rudder. 

The rudder is hung between the wheels on a skag which 
is the rear extension of a short keel that should be nailed 
fast to hold the punt steady on the water. 

Four canopy poles may be arranged to fit into sockets at 
the sides, and an awning six by ten feet can be supported 
over the machinery of the boat to keep off sun and rain. 

This is a genuine boy-power boat, and as the wheels are 

237 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

substantially large and strong it can be driven over the 
water at quite a good speed. While it takes two boys to 
properly run it, that is not the boat's capacity, for she will 
easily carry from four to six boys, their lunch-baskets, or a 
one-day camping outfit for a visit up the river or lake. 



1 



Chapter XIV 

CATAMARANS 
A Rowing Catamaran 

FOR safety on the water, as nearly as safety can be 
assured, there is nothing to compare with a catamaran, 
for they are practically "non-capsizable," and if not damaged 
to the leaking-point one or the other of the two boats will 
float and hold up several persons. Fig. i gives a good idea 
for a rowing catamaran that any boy can make from some 
boards and light timbers. It is provided with a seat and 
oar-locks so that the occupant may be seated above the 
water far enough to row easily. 

The boats are fourteen feet long, eighteen inches wide, and 
fourteen inches deep, including the bottom and deck. 

Pine, white- wood, cedar, or cypress, three-quarters of an 
inch thick and planed on both sides, will be necessary from 
which to construct the boats. At the bow the ends of the 
sides are attached to a stern-piece of hard-wood as shown 
in Fig. 2. Having poured boiling water on the forward 
ends, they may be drawn around a spreader sixteen inches 
long and twelve inches wide provided with two U-cuts as 
shown in Fig. 3. These are placed at the bottom, so that any 
water may be run to one end of a boat where it can be 
pumped out. 

239 , 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 





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The first spreader is placed three feet from the bow, and 
three or four more of them should be fastened between the 
sides as shown in Fig. 4, the last one being three feet from 
the stern where the sides begin to curve up to the upper 
edge of the stern and to the deck. 

The bottom is of three-inch pine or white-wood boards 
seven-eighths of an inch thick and well leaded in the joints 
and along the edges where the bottom and top boards join 

240 



CATAMARANS 



the sides. Before the top or deck is placed on, the interior 
of the boats should have two or three good coats of paint. 

Three cross-stringers of spruce two and one-half by four 
inches and six feet long are securely attached to the boats, 
and on these the deck of four-inch boards is made fast as 
the illustration will show. Between the middle and forward 
stringer, at the ends, two boards are attached on which the 
row -locks may be fastened. These boards are eight or nine 
inches wide and cut away at the front so that they are not 
more than two or three inches wide. 

The high ends are braced with round iron braces as shown 
in the illustration, and where the oar-locks are mounted a 
short plate of wood is screwed fast to the inside of each 
piece. 

Near the front cross-piece a seat is built and braced with 
a board. With another boy at the stern sitting on the 
deck this catamaran will be well balanced and will prove 
very seaworthy, as well as a light boat to row. 

A Sailing Catamaran 

It is almost impossible to upset a sailing catamaran even 
in a gale, and for boys a boat of this kind affords a great 
deal of comparatively safe pleasure. 

A catamaran is about the easiest sort of a boat to make, 
and no matter in what locality one lives there is always 
material at hand from which to make one as the wood is 
similar to that used for house construction. 

Fig. 5 shows a side elevation of a safe catamaran, and in 
Fig. 6 the deck plan is shown. In Fig. 7 an elevation view 

241 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

of the stern shows the arrangement of the boats, deck tim- 
bers, and rudders. 

The boats are fifteen feet long, eighteen inches wide at the 
middle, and two feet deep uniformly from bow to stern ex- 
cept for a short distance at the bow where the keel rounds up. 

They are in the form of a V, and at the ends the angle be- 
comes more acute, so that at the stem and stern the lines are 
vertical. 

Four feet from both ends the deck line begins to curve as 
shown in Fig. 6, and in Fig. 8 the cross-braces are shown. 
They are cut in at the bottom to slip over the keel and to 
them the sheathing planks are made fast. 




242 



CATAMARANS 



In Fig. 8 the curved stem-piece and one side of planking 
is shown, and it indicates also where the curved stem-piece 
is joined to the keel, which extends in a straight line to the 
stern of the boats. 

The keel is of hard- wood one inch and a quarter thick and 
six inches wide. The cross-braces or spreaders are of pine 
or other soft wood seven-eighths of an inch thick and male 
up of three pieces of wood with the grain running vertically. 

The sheathing is of pine, cedar, or cypress three-quarters 
of an inch thick, planed on both sides, and three or four 
inches wide. Each board should be given a priming coat of 
paint before it is nailed to the braces, and where the planks 
are edged together white-lead and lamp-wick should be em- 
ployed for calking. Galvanized boat nails are to be used 
for all the fastenings, but screws may be employed where it 
is necessary to have a very secure joint. 

The cross-pieces that fasten the boats together are bolted 
fast by means of long bolts that pass through the timbers 
and deck and into stout pieces of wood that are nailed fast 
to the upper part of the spreaders as shown at A in Fig. 8. 
The boats are decked over with the three-quarter-inch plank- 
ing, and to insure an absolutely tight deck the wood may be 
treated to a thick coat of paint and covered with canvas 
which is pressed down well into the paint " and the edges 
tacked down over the sides of the boats. The canvas is then 
given a coat or two of paint and allowed to dry thoroughly, 
after which it can be sand-papered and finished with the 
desired shade of paint. 

Three spruce timbers eight feet long, three inches thick, 
and six inches wide are bored with holes at the ends where 
x7 243 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

the bolts pass through them and into the boats. Running 
parallel to the boats three timbers are laid across the brace- 
timbers and on top of these the deck planking is nailed. 
These pieces are two and one-half by four inches, and ten 
feet long, and are bolted down with long slim bolts. 

The decking is formed of slats three-quarters of an 
inch thick and four inches wide nailed down to these 
stringers. Spaces half an inch wide are left between each 
one. 

The bowsprit is of three-by-four-inch spruce left with its 
square corners for half its length but dressed round at the 
outer end. It is caught under the middle cross -brace where 
the end is bolted, and extending over the front piece it pro- 
jects four or five feet beyond the bow ends of the boats. 
With wire-cable the bowsprit end is stayed to the bow of 
each boat, where turn-buckles can be caught into eyes in 
the stem-posts. 

The mast is of spruce dressed from a four-inch spruce stick 
and slightly tapered at the top. It is fifteen feet long and 
stepped at the middle of the front cross-piece and on top of 
the bowsprit where it is held in place with a collar and iron 
braces as shown in the illustration. Fig. 5. 

Standing rigging of wire-cable stays the mast from the 
top to both ends of the front cross-piece as indicated by the 
dotted line in Fig. 7. 

Three short posts are made fast to the cross-pieces close 
to the decking, and holes bored in the tops of them will hold 
a safety-rope around the deck. 

The rudder-posts are of hard-wood one inch and a quarter 
thick and two inches and a half in width. They are three 

244 





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A SAILING CATAMARAN 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

feet long and to the upper end of each a strap of metal is 
arranged to receive the tiller as shown in Fig. 9. 

The tillers are of hard- wood three feet long and their inner 
ends are connected with a hard-wood stick by means of 
which the steering is done and both rudders operated at the 
same time. 

The rudders, made from two sheets of galvanized iron, 
are riveted fast to the rudder-posts and are twelve inches 
high and fifteen inches long. Pins on the posts fit into eyes 
attached to the stern-post of the boats, and in Fig. 10 the 
arrangement of rudders, tillers, and connecting-rod is shown. 

The main-sail is of twilled cotton that can be had at a dry- 
goods store for about ten cents a yard, and a rib should be 
sewed through the middle of each breadth to strengthen the 
cloth. The sail is nine feet and six inches on the mast, six 
feet on the gaff, thirteen feet on the boom, and fifteen feet 
on the leach. The jib, also of twilled cotton, is eleven feet 
and six inches on the forestay, eight feet across the foot, and 
eight feet and six inches on the leach. The blocks can be 
of galvanized iron but patent sheave-wood blocks are pref- 
erable. 

For the halyards Manila-rope three-eighths of an, inch in 
diameter will be the right size, and a half -inch anchor-rope 
will be stout enough, since a catamaran does not tug as 
heavily on an anchor as does a boat. 

The wood-work of the boat and deck should be painted 
and the spars varnished. A pretty effect will be to paint 
the boat a rich olive green, with buff decks, and all the cross- 
pieces and deck planking in ivory white. 

The ordinary sailing rules will apply to the handling of a 

246 



CATAMARANS 



catamaran. With these wedge-shaped boats you can sail 
quite close to the wind, but if round-bottomed and shallower 
boats are used they will have to be provided with centre- 
boards. 

A Side-wheel Catamaran 

The rowing catamaran can easily be converted into a side- 
wheel boat. by removing the middle slat of the deck and 
making an opening through which a chain will lead to a cog 
or sprocket wheel on an axle. 

At the outer side of each boat, between the middle and rear 
cross-braces, fasten two pieces of wood two inches wide and 
three inches high. Six or eight inches from the rear end 
make two U-cuts for a five-eighth -inch axle to fit into. At 
a blacksmith's obtain two old carriage or buggy wheels, and 
cut the spokes so that they will be fourteen inches long from 
the hub. Dress one side of each spoke fiat, so that a paddle 
may be attached to it with screws. The paddles are of hard- 
wood, eight inches wide at the outer end, six at the inner end, 
and six inches deep. 

Have a blacksmith heat the ends of an axle and pound 
them square, then slip one hub over the iron, and with hard- 
wood wedges make it fast. The other wheel can be slipped 
on when the axle is in place and attached in a similar manner. 
It would be best to remove the old iron boxes from the hubs, 
so that a few screws can be driven through the hub and into 
the wedges to help in holding them securely in place. 

In Fig. II, which is a stern view of the rowing catamaran, 
one of the paddle-wheels is shown in place, and it also shows 
the location of the axle, the sprocket-wheel, and the chain 

247 



CATAMARANS 




that leads to the large sprocket-wheel by means of which 
the axle is turned. 

An old bicycle chain and sprockets, together with the axle, 
cranks, and pedals, can be arranged on a frame, so that a 
saddle may be mounted the proper distance above the pedals. 
This arrangement is clearly shown in the illustration, which 
shows also the outrigger timbers at the stern, to which a 
sheet-iron rudder may be made fast. It is operated by a 
handle and bar, which turns the rudder by means of flexible 
wire-rope run through two deck-pulleys at the outer rear 
ends of the deck planking. The iron rod is held in place to 
the forward upright of the seat-frame with metal straps. 
At its lower end a wooden wheel having a groove is made 
fast, around which a wrap or two of the wire-cable is taken 
to hold the rudder steady. 

248 



Chapter XV 

ICE-BOATS 

A Sloop-figgcd Ice-yacht 

FOR travelling over the ice there is fiothing to beat an 
ice-yacht, and some that have been constructed on the 
Hudson River are of gigantic size and power. Boats of this 
kind, and having the speed of an express -train, are dangerous 
for boys to play with, but the ordinary ice-boat that will go 
from ten to twenty miles an hour is within the ability of any 
well-grown boy to make and safely handle. 

It is quite a simple matter to make a good ice-boat, for it 
is but a framework properly put together and bolted, on top 
of which a deck is nailed, with a mast-step arranged at the 
front. 

Fig. I shows the elevation view of a moderately sized 
sloop-yacht; and in Fig. 2 the deck plan is shown, the joints 
and deck boards being clearly indicated. The triangular 
body of the boat is ten feet long and eight feet wide, and the 
bowsprit projects out six feet beyond the timber A in Fig. 2. 

The frame is made of clear spruce timbers six inches wide 
and two inches thick. The timber A is eight feet long, B B 
are eleven feet long, C is five feet long, and D D are each 
three feet long. 

249 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



At the front corners and at the back the timbers are bev- 
elled, as shown in the plan drawing, and they are joined with 
long bolts as indicated by the dotted lines. Timbers C and 
D D are set in place and securely fastened with long, steel- 




wire spikes. The bowsprit E is mounted against timber C 
and laid over timber A, to which it is bolted fast. A half- 
inch iron pin is driven in the butt end of the bowsprit, and 
it fits into a hole made in timber C. 

The bowsprit is cut from spruce two inches and a half by 
four inches, and tapered at the outer end, where a withe hav- 
ing three eyes is driven on. The ^top eye receives the fore- 
stay and the side ones the bobstay cables that run to the 

250 



ICE-BOATS 



corners of the boat, where they are drawn taut with turn- 
buckles. The shoe-blocks F F are twenty-four inches long 
and three inches square, and are bolted to the timbers A and 
B as shown. 

At the stern a triangular block is mounted between the 
ends of the timbers B B, through which the rudder-post will 
pass. The. decking planks G are then attached to the frame 
with screws or steel nails. 

The mast-step is made by attaching two twelve-inch 
pieces of plank eighteen inches long and an inch and a quar- 
ter thick to the inside sides of timbers D D. Across the top 
of them attach another plank, and in the middle of it cut a 
hole three inches and a half in diameter, or large enough to 
receive the mast. In the bowsprit, directly under the large 
hole, make a small one to receive a three-quarter-inch pin. 
This iron pin is to be driven in the bottom of the mast so 
that six inches of it projects beyond the bottom of the stick. 
These will form the mast-step, and when the mast is in place 
and held by the forestay and shrouds it cannot jump out. 
Iron stanchion-rods are attached to the top of the mast- 
plate and to the inside of timber A as shown in the illus- 
tration. 

The shoes are of tire, steel and will have to be made by a 
blacksmith. The front ones are thirty inches long, curved 
up at the front, as shown in Fig. 3 A, and bevelled at the bot- 
tom so as to form a gripping or cutting edge. When mount- 
ed the lower edge is at the outside of the boat. Shanks with 
bolt-tops and collars pass through the holes made in the 
shoe-blocks F F, and are securely held with nuts screwed 
down on washers so as not to cut the wood. 

251 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The rudder (Fig. 3 B) is a chisel-edged piece of steel twelve 
inches long turned up at both ends and mounted at the foot 
of a shank C, which is provided with a collar, a square 
shoulder for the tiller D to fit on, and a threaded top so that 
a nut will hold the tiller in place. The shoes can only be 
made of steel or iron, as wooden ones are useless. 




The mast is twelve feet high and three inches and a half 
or four inches in diameter, slightly tapered near the top. 
The gaff is six feet long and the boom twelve feet in length. 

252 



ICE-BOATS 



The main-sail measures eight feet on the mast, five feet on 
the gaff, eleven on the boom, and the leach is thirteen feet 
long. The jib is ten feet on the forestay, six feet at the foot, 
and eight feet on the leach. This sail area will present a 
good surface to the wind, and with an ordinary breeze the 
boat should make from eight to twelve miles an hour with 
two or three boys on the deck. 

The rigging is done in the same manner in which boats are 
fitted out. The spars should be varnished and the boat can 
be painted or varnished, as a matter of choice. All white 
wood -work with black metal parts, or a red frame with 
cream-colored deck and black metal parts, are pleasing com- 
binations, but a boy's own ideas can be carried out with the 
paint-pot and brush. 

A Twin-mast Ice-boat 

The twin-mast ice-boat shown in Fig. 4 is the same size 
as the other one, and built in the same manner except that 
timbers D D in Fig. 2 are omitted and a smaller deck is laid 
at the stern. 

One foot back from the corners three-inch masts are 
stepped in holes made in timbers B B to receive half -inch 
iron pins driven in the foot of the masts. The sticks are 
eleven feet long and lashed together at the top or bolted 
with several long, thin bolts as shown in the illustration. 
They pitch forward at a slight angle, or so that the forestay 
is eleven feet long. 

The gaff is sixteen feet long and the boom eighteen feet 
in length, and the leach of the sail is fourteen feet. 

253 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The gafif is hauled up into the crotch formed by the masts, 
and a set of blocks and tackle at the bottom of the sail on 
the boom and the deck will haul the sail into the proper 
position. It then swings free between the masts, and the 
jib and main-sail form one large sheet, so that when the main- 




sheet goes to one side or the other the jib always takes the 
opposite position and the wind is playing on the entire sail 
at all times. 

This is a very easy rig to handle as it relieves the steers- 
man from the bother of the jib-sheets which are annoying 
in a stiff breeze. 

254 



ICE-BOATS 



Scoots and Scooters 

Scoots and scooters are the latest wrinkle in ice-boats. 
Down on the Great South Bay, on the southern side of Long 
Island, they speak of them in fun as " ice- water boats." The 
advantage in a boat of this kind lies in their ability to sail 
on poor ice or to go across water that is partly open and 
frozen as many of the bays along the coast are at times. 

The scoot shown in Fig. 5 is in the form of a sharpy, but 
the bottom curves up at the bow so that if it is sailing on 
the water and comes to the edge of an ice-floe that is not too 
high out of the water the wind will blow the boat up on the 
ice and it will sail along on its runners at double its previous 
speed. In the same manner when it comes to open water 
it will slip off the ice quite comfortably and become again a 
marine craft. 

The model and descriptions of a centre-board sharpy may 
be taken for the construction of the boat, except that there 
is no stem or bow-post and the bottom rounds up the same 
as the side boards curve in. The bow is therefore nearly a 
point. This construction is shown in Fig. 6 (page 252), 
which is a view of the sides and bottom only, the deck 
planking being fastened down afterwards. 

The boat should be calked with white-lead and lamp- 
wicking and as carefully made as a water-boat, for it must be 
absolutely tight and water-proof. The deck may be covered 
with canvas and painted, or it may be of varnished or painted 
wood. 

The hull should be from twelve to fifteen feet long and 
from four to five feet wide across the widest part. It is 

25s 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 




fifteen inches deep, and is provided with a centre-board 
and trunk the same as described for the sailing sharpy on 
page 221. 

The mast is twelve feet long or about ten feet above the 
deck; the gaff is seven feet and the boom eleven feet 
long. The bowsprit is four feet long and is bolted to the 
forward deck, and from the end of it to the top of the 

256 



ICE-BOATS 



mast a light, wire-cable forestay is made fast for the jib to 
run on. 

The sails are made of twilled drill or very heavy unbleach- 
ed muslin, and in the main-sheet one or two sets of reef- 
points will be necessary. The main-sail measures seven feet 
on the mast, six feet and six inches on the gaff, ten feet and 
six inches on the boom, and thirteen feet on the leach. The 
jib measures seven feet on the forestay, four feet across the 
foot, and six feet on the leach. The sail-cloth should be 
ribbed to strengthen it and a light rope run around all the 
edges of both sails. 

The shoes are made of light, broad tire iron or steel twenty- 
four inches long and shaped so that the front part will bolt 
fast to the outside of the scooter sides and the rear ends will 
lie against the bottom of the boat where they can be bolted 
fast. The shape of these shoes is shown in Fig. 7 A (page 
252), and any blacksmith will make them for you at a 
nominal cost. The rudder is of stout sheet-iron mounted 
in the end of a shank as shown at Fig. 7 B (page 252). Its 
fan-tail permits it to swing the boat in the water and its 
lower edge will guide it on the ice. 

The rudder-post should be attached to the skag which is 
arranged at the under side and rear of the boat, and with a 
short iron tiller fastened as shown in Fig. 3 C and D the 
rudder may be swung. 

When sailing on the ice the centre-board should be hauled 
up as high as it will go, for it is of use only when the boat is 
in the water. 

A scoot is a cranky boat on the ice as the runners or fore- 
shoes are closer together than on an ice-boat with a trian- 

257 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

gular frame. Going before the wind it is all right, but when 
sailing on or up into a stiff wind it will keep a boy moving 
to hold his balance and steady the boat. 

The shovel-nosed scooter shown in Fig. 8 is an easier boat 
to handle as it is broader than the sharpy, but it is not quite 
so fast, being slightly heavier. 

It is twelve feet long over all with a five-foot beam and 




fourteen inches high including deck and bottom. The side 
boards are twelve inches wide, curved up at the bow, and 
bent in at the stern as shown in the illustration. 

258 



ICE-BOATS 



Twin masts are stepped two feet from the bow and lashed 
together nine feet above the deck. The rigging is the same 
as for the twin-mast ice-boat, and the sail measures twelve 
feet on the gaff, fourteen feet on the boom, with the leach 
eleven feet in length. 

A small centre-board mounted in a trunk will be neces- 
sary for water sailing, and with several coats of paint the 
scooter will be ready for use. 

A Wind-rtrnner 

An interesting boat for a boy to sail is a wind-runner like 
the one shown in Fig. 9. 

Two spruce planks twelve feet long and ten inches wide are 
attached to three battens and separated four inches. The 




18 



■59 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

stern batten is four inches high and two inches wide, and 
through a hole made in the middle the shank of the rudder- 
post extends, from the top of which the tiller works. 

The front ends of the planks are rounded and mounted 
on a triangular framework six feet across at the front and 
extending back about five feet from the ends of the planks. 

A mast three inches in diameter and nine feet high is 
stepped through a collar and into a block attached to the 
back of the front cross-piece as shown in Fig. lo. An iron 
pin at the bottom of the mast drops into a hole made in the 
block and the backstays hold the mast in place. 

A yard-arm eight feet long supports a square sail six feet 
wide, which is caught at the lower ends to the outer ends of 
the triangle frame. 

The shoes attached to the triangle frame with bolts are 
fifteen inches long and the rudder-blade is ten inches long. 

This is a rapid sailer before the wind, and with a little 
manoeuvring the runner can be made to sail on the wind, 
though it will not run nearly as close to the wind as the ice- 
boats or scoots. Paint or varnish will give the wood-work a 
good finish, and under a stiff breeze this wind-runner will 
carry four or five boys. 



Chapter XVI 

HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 

A Hoase-punt 

A HOUSE-PUNT of very simple construction is shown in 
Fig. I. The punt is from sixteen to twenty-four feet 
long according to the size desired, but for a party of four 
boys it should be twenty-four feet long, eight feet wide, and 
two feet deep with a cabin eight feet high. 

The sides and middle rib should be of pine, spruce, or 
white-wood one inch and a quarter thick, free from sappy 
places and knots. If the boards cannot be had as long as 
twenty-four feet nor as wide as two feet, use two boards 
twelve inches wide and make one joint at the middle of the 
lower board and two in the upper board as shown in the 
drawing of the side elevation (Fig. 2). Six inches down 
from the top at either end and thirty inches in at the bottom 
cut the sides as shown so that the punt will have a shovel- 
nose at both ends and can be poled or sailed in either 
direction. Make a third or middle rib the same size as the 
side board. This is to be placed at the middle of the punt 
so as to receive the sheathing and deck planking. The 
arrangement of this middle rib and the side boards is shown 
in Fig. 3 and at A in Fig. 3. A batten is shown to which 

261 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

the upper and lower boards of a side are nailed fast. If the 
two boards are used it will be necessary to arrange these 
battens along the inside of each side about eighteen inches 
apart. They should be of tough wood five or six inches 
wide, an inch and a quarter thick, and two feet long. 

Galvanized boat nails should be used, and when driven 
in from the outside they should be clinched at the inside. 
Good boat nails are of malleable iron stiff enough to go 
through hard-wood but ductile enough to be turned over at 
the ends with a light hammer and quick, sharp blows. 

The sheathing and deck planking should be not less than 
four inches and not more than six inches in width, and before 
it is put on it should be well sun-dried to take out all moisture. 
It should then be given two good coats of paint on both sides 
to make it water-proof. 

Lay the sides and middle rib bottom up and begin to 
sheath from one end. Lumber sixteen feet long should be 
used, and this, when cut in half, will make two pieces from 
each length. If matched boards are used smear the edges 
with white-lead before the boards are driven together, but if 
straight-edge lumber is employed it will be necessary to lead 
and wick the joints. This is done by taking a piece of round 
iron one-quarter of an inch in diameter and eight inches long 
and bending it as shown at Fig. 4 A. Lay this on the fiat 
edge of each board at the middle and heat the iron so as to 
form a groove as shown at Fig. 4 B. The wood, having been 
beaten in, forms a gully in which a string of lamp-wick can 
be laid as shown in Fig. 4 C. The groove must not be cut 
with a chisel for then its effect would be lost. The object 
of this treatment is that when the punt is in the water the 

262 




A HOUSE-PUNT 
263 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

joint swells forcing out the wood against the lamp-wick and 
making a water-tight joint. The edges of the wood and the 
wicking must be well smeared with white-lead in order to 
properly calk the joint. 

Between the middle rib and each side an inner keel should 
be arranged so that each plank can be nailed fast to it. This 
will act as an additional brace to hold the sheathing planks 
in place and make the bottom more rigid. This inner keel 
should extend from end to end of the punt, and short pieces 
may be laid inside the bevelled ends to lend added strength. 

At each end a spruce plank eight inches wide is made fast 
with long boat nails, first leading all the joints to make them 
water-tight. The deck planks are laid on the same as the 
sheathing, and to brace them from underneath, in the space 
between the middle rib and the sides, two-by-three-inch 
spruce rails are propped on short sticks which are nailed to 
the inner keel and to the rails as shown at Fig. 5. These 
under props should be arranged about eighteen inches apart, 
the entire length of the punt. Groove the upper edges of 
the end and side planks with the iron, then lay the lamp- 
wicking in, lead, and nail down the planking, taking care to 
put the nails in straight and true. When the punt is fin- 
ished give it several good coats of copper paint on the bottom 
and sides and several coats of good marine paint on the 
deck. 

To construct the cabin lay down the sill- joist of two-by- 
three-inch spruce, making the plan fourteen feet long and 
seven feet and eight inches wide (Fig. 6). To this nail 
the uprights and bracing timbers, forming the sides and 
ends as shown in the drawings of the side and end elevation 

264 



HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 



(Fig. 7). The door spaces at the ends should be three feet 
wide and seven feet high, so that when trimmed and the 
doors hung the actual size will be two feet and eight inches 
wide by six feet and ten inches high. 

The window openings are two feet wide by two feet and 
six inches high, and between all the uprights braces are 
nailed fast to prevent the frame from racking. The arrange- 
ment of framing timbers is quite clearly shown in the draw- 
ings, and in the deck plan (Fig. 6) the arrangement of the 
bunks is indicated. Across the top of the framework one- 
and-a-half -by -six-inch beams are laid having their upper 
edge crowned as shown in the end elevation (Fig. 7). Over 
these the roofing boards are laid lengthwise, and on top of 
them canvas is drawn and tacked down all around the edges 
with copper tacks. 

The roofing boards may be of three-quarter-inch stuff 
planed on both sides and from two to four inches wide, 
whichever is the easiest to obtain. The boards should ex- 
tend over the ends and sides for two or three inches so that 
a finishing moulding can be made fast under the boards. 
Give the top of the boards two good coats of paint, then 
stretch oiled canvas over the top and tack it fast. Several 
coats of paint will finish the canvas and make it hard enough 
to walk on, for in pleasant weather this upper deck will make 
a pleasant place to spend many hours under the shade of a 
canopy. The cabin sheathing is of narrow matched boards 
planed on both sides and as free from knots and sappy places 
as it is possible to get them. The boards must be thoroughly 
sun-dried before they are laid on and nailed fast, and it 
would be well also to paint the matched edges so that moist- 

265 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

ure may not get m and swell them. The inside and outside 
of the cabin is to be painted to protect the wood from 
moisture, and if painted a light tint of any color, or white, it 
will be cooler in summer when the sun is shining than if 
coated with a dark color. Dark colors absorb light and 
heat while light ones reflect or shed them. 

The window-sashes should be arranged on hinges so that 
they may be swung in and back against the inside of the 
cabin and hooked. Or, by cutting away a part of the up- 
right, the sash may be arranged to slide. Wire screening 
may be tacked over the window-frame at the outer side to 
keep out flies and mosquitoes, and screen doors can be made 
also for the front and rear doorways — to swing in, as the 
wooden doors swing out. 

Over the rear deck a canopy is arranged on poles. This 
is similar to a tent fly for camping, and will shed the sun and 
rain from the deck when the cook is preparing meals. 

A small cook-stove may be arranged inside the cabin, but 
if it is not convenient to carry coal in a box on the deck an 
oil-stove will answer every purpose. 

Two bunks may be built in on each side, one above the 
other, and four wire springs may be arranged to rest on 
battens driven across the bunks at the head and foot. A 
small hatch should be cut in the rear deck and another one 
through the cabin floor so that a few things may be stored 
in the hold. The aft hatch should be provided with a suc- 
tion-pump so that any water that leaks in can be readily 
pumped out. 

Rings, cleats, and ropes should be provided for the punt, 
and two anchors would be better than one, especially when 

260 



HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 



near the shore or in shallow water, to hold the punt from 
swinging, which it is sure to do if there is any wind or waves. 
Always anchor it so that the wind is blowing on one end and 
not broadside as it is a strain on the anchors and ropes to 
hold a boat broadside on. 

By erecting a spar fifteen or twenty feet high and four or 
five inches in diameter, a square-sail can be rigged on yard- 
arms so that the house-punt can be sailed before the wind. 
A long oar will be necessary to steer with, or a portable 
rudder may be made and hung to the stern with pins and 
ropes. 

A house-punt of this description will be a very great 
source of enjoyment to several boys in the summer-time, 
and in the winter when not in use the punt can be hauled 
out on shore, the windows boarded up, and old canvas 
drawn over the decks to protect them from the sun. 

A Hotjse-raft 

Almost any boy can build a fairly good boat, even if it is 
a flat-bottomed sharpy. But to build a raft of the proper 
size, and on it a house that may be comfortably occupied, 
will require the aid of a good carpenter who understands 
construction, and under whose direction several boys can 
work to good advantage. 

For a party of four or five young fellows, a very convenient 
and commodious house-raft at anchor is shown in Fig. 8. 
The raft is about thirty-eight feet long and twelve feet wide, 
while the house is twenty-three feet long and twelve feet 
wide by nine feet high from raft deck to top of house. 

267 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

These dimensions will, if necessary, permit the raft to be 
taken through any canal, and without mast and deck -rails 
it will pass under the road bridges that span the canals. 

If the house-raft is to be used on canals only, it will be 
better not to have the mast, and the deck-rail may be 
arranged so that it can be removed quickly before passing 
under a low bridge. 

The mast is for use on lakes, bays, or rivers only, where a 
large square -sail can be hoisted on a yard-arm, and by means 
of which the raft may be made to sail before the wind 
slowly, so that its position may be changed from time to 
time. 

The construction of a house-raft is quite simple, and will 
not require the services of a boat -builder, as the carpenter 
can build both the raft and the house on it. To begin with, 
it will be necessary to obtain four straight logs thirty-eight 
feet long, as sound as possible, and not wind-racked. Two 
of these logs are to be laid with the butt end at the stern, 
and the other two with butts at the bow, thus giving equal 
spaces between each along the entire length of the raft. 

Across the ends of these logs nail a temporary strip to 
keep them the proper distance apart; then at right angles 
lay four-by-twelve -inch timbers on edge about two feet apart, 
and spike them securely to the logs. This part of the work 
should be done in shallow water, where the logs can be near 
enough to shore for the workers to stand on bottom. 

When laying these cross-timbers it is always well to place 
the first ones about five feet apart, and stand a straight tim- 
ber across from one to the other parallel to the logs, so that 
as each succeeding timber is laid it can be levelled by either 

268 




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A HOUSE-RAFT 
269 



K 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



cutting slightly into the log or building up the bearing, as it 
may require. 

Having timbered the logs the entire length, begin to plank 
or deck the raft with one-inch-and-a-quarter spruce boards 
six inches wide, laying the strips from bow to stern. 

Fig. 9 will show the position of the logs with cross-timbers 
above, on top of which the planking may be seen. To the 
under side of the cross-beams and midway between the logs, 
planks should be fastened that will run the entire length of 
the raft. These are to form a bearing against which the 
upper bilge of the barrels will rest. Fig. 9 shows the heads 
of three barrels, each the end one of a number that are 
chained together and run all along under the raft to give it 
sufficient buoyancy to counteract the displacement that 
would be caused by the weight of the house and occupants. 

Fig. 10 is a side view of those same barrels, showing the 
position they occupy and the distance from one to the other. 
Oil-barrels are the best for this purpose, and after being well 
bunged they should be treated to several good coats of cop- 
per paint before being drawn under the raft. It would be 
well to leave a gallon of oil in each barrel, as it keeps the glue 
sizing in good condition, and prevents it from yielding to the 
dampness caused by the water, the pressure of which might 
in time find its way through small cracks or openings. 

A few yards of wrought-iron chain sufficiently heavy for 
the purpose can be obtained and cut into short lengths, and 
each end should be fitted with an eye-plate with four holes 
in it, which plates are to be fastened to the ends of the bar- 
rels with short, fat screws, having first thoroughly smeared 
the back of each with white-lead. The barrels should be 

270 



HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 



arranged about one foot apart, and if the logs are from 
twenty-four to thirty inches in diameter at the butt end 
there should be just enough space to accommodate the three 
rows of barrels between the four logs as shown in Fig. 9. 

Across the logs at the bow and stern attach the planking, 
to extend down a foot below the water-line, and with short 
uprights against which to nail, fasten weather-boards along 
the sides of the raft to cover the logs and come up flush with 
the deck line. 

Seven feet in from the ends of the raft lay cross-stringers, 
three by six inches, at distances of eighteen inches apart, on 
which to place the floor of the house. This flooring may be 
of narrow spruce boards, planed on one side and having 
matched edges. 

The uprights for the house construction are placed on the 
flooring beams and sills, and securely pinned to them, and 
the cross-beams at top of house should be placed the same 
distance apart as the floor beams to sustain the weight above, 
as the top of the house or upper deck will be the open-air 
living-room. The side elevation (Fig. 11) shows the position 
of windows that will be placed on both sides of the house, 
and another illustration (Fig. 12 A and B) shows both front 
and rear elevations of the house, as well as the location of 
companionway and deck-rails. 

The deck plan (Fig. 13) shows the arrangement of the 
house and how it is divided into the several compartments. 

In the front, the dining and living saloon is a room measur- 
ing about eight feet in width and eleven feet in length. At 
one end a couch is placed which, if necessary, can be used as 
a bed; and close to it are two large windows — one overlook- 

271 




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DETAILS OF A HOUSE-RAFT 
272 



HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 



ing the fore-deck, the other giving a view from the side of 
the house. At the other end of the room a neat china-cup- 
board is built into the corner, and in the opposite corner the 
front door and a window are placed. One of the illustrations 
is an interior view of this cabin, showing how comfortable 
and attractive it can be made to appear. As it is a sort of 
general mess-room and living-cabin, it can be decorated and 
kept as such in a ship-shape manner. 

Fishing-rods, guns, and nets against the wall will take up 
little space, while in the locker under the cupboard a variety 
of sporting paraphernalia can be stored. 

Leading aft from this saloon, a passageway opens into the 
galley, a room six feet and six inches wide by eleven feet 
long, where all the cooking-utensils and stores are kept. 

This galley should be painted a light gray or ivory white, 
with several coats of paint mixed for outside use, so the 
wood-work can all be wiped down with a damp cloth when 
necessary. White is always the best color for a kitchen 
or galley, and it has the appearance of cleanliness that no 
other color will give; it will be found to keep a room much 
cooler also, and for that reason it is recommended. A rug 
or rag carpet will be an acceptable covering for the floor, 
which should be treated to several coats of yellow- ochre 
paint. 

Between the dining-saloon and the galley two state-rooms 
are placed, so the passageway runs between them, and from 
which the doors open that lead into them. These rooms are 
each about eight feet and six inches long by nearly five feet 
wide, and two berths, each three feet wide, are built in the 
rooms. Both rooms have large windows, and spaces for 

273 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

corner wash-stands ; and as the doors open against the ends 
of the berths, there is no lost space nor wasted room. 

Rows of hooks will accommodate clothing, and the lower 
berth should be at least twenty-two inches up from the floor 
to allow room to slide a trunk or two under it. These rooms 
can be ceiled and papered, or painted, as a matter of choice, 
but a few coats of varnish will render the wood-work in good 
shape and proof against dampness. 

All the windows and doors in this boat can be of stock 
sizes, so that the cost of special sizes can be avoided. The 
sheathing may be of cedar shingles or of clapboards, as the 
cost is about the same. The clapboards should be painted, 
and will look better than shingles, although a very artistic 
effect is had by staining the shingles and painting the door 
and window casings in shades to match, preferably in the 
brown and olive-green shades. 

The flooring of the upper deck should be of regular flooring 
boards with matched edges and planed on one side. Over 
this flooring canvas should be stretched and tacked, and 
afterwards given two or three coats of oil and varnish to 
make it water-proof, and finally treated to a coat or two of 
lead-colored paint. The seams should all be well laid down, 
and fastened with copper or tinned tacks, driven about two 
inches apart. It would be well to give the boards two good 
thick coats of paint before the canvas is applied, so that 
when the oil soaks through the canvas it will soften the paint 
somewhat, and help to hold the canvas in its proper place. 

Leading from the fore-deck to the upper deck a stair or 
companionway is built, and anchored securely in place to 
the front of the house. The platform at the head of the 

274 



HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 



staircase is braced over the front doorway by means of two 
iron rods that act as brackets, and which are screwed securely 
both to the under side of the platform and to the door-casing. 
This can be an open stairway composed of two side ways and 
eleven treads, the ends of the treads being anchored in 
grooves cut in the ways, and securely fastened with screws. 

The rail around the deck is of common iron gas-pipe held 
in place by sockets and uprights. If the piping cannot be 
had, then hickory or hard-wood poles one inch and a half in 
diameter may be employed and held in place by uprights 
three inches wide and thirty inches high, through which two 
holes have been bored to receive the poles. 

Around the fore and after decks a stringer three by six 
inches can be spiked down, and to the sides near the bow and 
stern large cleats should be bolted fast, by which the raft can 
be moored. Amidships at the bow a large post may be fast- 
ened, around which to attach a tow-line if necessary, and at 
the stern a rudder is arranged, with the post projecting up 
through the deck for a distance of a foot or eighteen inches. 
A mortise should be cut in the top of this post, into which the 
end of a tiller can be inserted when steering the craft, either 
when in tow or under sail. 

A mast twenty-five or thirty feet long can be stepped 
amidships against the front of the house, and strapped fast 
to the upper deck with a horseshoe band. A step-block can 
be fastened to the deck into which the tenoned end of the 
mast will fit. 

A yard-arm about twenty feet long, or longer if desired, can 
be arranged to hoist nearly to the top of the mast, and from 
which a large square-sail may be rigged so the lower corners 
10 275 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

will fasten to outriggers four or five feet long that can be 
temporarily braced at the sides of the boat when sail is set. 
This pole affords a good place from which to fly club or col- 
lege colors, and from which to suspend lines of colored and 
Japanese lanterns to illuminate at night. This mast should 
be six inches in diameter at the base, and gradually taper 
near the top, and if a sail is to be used frequently, it would 
be a good plan to bobstay and shroud the stick with some 
standing rigging, so as to relieve it from the entire strain of 
a large sail. 

The top of the house affords a living-room twenty-three 
feet long and twelve feet wide, and in that space a number 
of chairs, a table, hammocks, and benches can be accommo- 
dated. 

For lake, river, and bay use this deck can be covered by a 
large awning, supported at the centre by a ridge-pole, and at 
the sides by upright posts that hold a stout wire in place, 
over which the striped awning canvas is caught. Drop- 
curtains at the sides will be convenient to ward of^ the bright 
sunlight, and this deck-room will be found the most delight- 
ful place to spend the pleasant days and evenings. 

Along the inland waterways a raft of this description is a 
most desirable craft, as it can be towed from place to place, 
and for pleasure purposes its value cannot be overestimated, 
as it is a base for hunting and fishing as well as a retreat from 
village life ; and the pleasure and comfort that can be had 
from a raft like this can well be appreciated when once tried. 

To build a house-raft on these plans is not a difficult nor 
an expensive piece of work, and outside of the cost of the 
lumber, timber, barrels, and logs the amount is limited, unless 

276 



HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 



finish is contemplated. With materials at hand and the 
help of three or four good workers, it should not require more 
than a week to construct this raft and house, and if fitted 
and painted in the manner described the cost should not ex- 
ceed from two hundred to three hundred dollars, including 
all labor and material, according to the locality in which it 
is constructed. 

A Float 

In the spring, when every one who owns a boat of any sort 
is painting and repairing his craft, boat-houses, and floats, a 
few suggestions in regard to the floats will be found of practi- 
cal value. 

My chum and I own two canoes and a row-boat. The 
first year we built a boat-house, which exhausted our funds, 
and we were obliged to wait till the next spring before we 
could consider the expense of making a float. Most floats 
are constructed of spars on logs, with a mooring on top. 

As we prepared to make the float ourselves, we wanted to 
find the easiest and cheapest way of doing so. The spars 
were costly, and, besides, are clumsy, and for a float of ade- 
quate size they would have to be so large that we could not 
move them alone. 

As we lived in the city we could not get logs, or, if we could, 
we should have had a big bill for cartage. It was while we 
were painting the boat-house one afternoon that we saw an 
empty barrel go floating by. My chum said he had an idea 
that we could make a float after all. We went to one of the 
grocery stores and got four new flour-barrels, with the heads, 
at a cost of twenty-five cents apiece. 

277 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

We took them, two by two, over to the boat-house, and 
then went to a near-by lumber-yard and got three two-by- 
three sixteen-foot joists, which cost us fifty-five cents, and 
one hundred square feet of boards such as are sold at thirty 
dollars a thousand feet. Some nails and our tools, and we 
were ready to begin work. 

First we laid two barrels end to end about two feet apart ; 
then about twelve feet from them we laid the other two in 
the same way. Then we took two of the joists and laid them 
on each side of the barrels on edge. Taking the other, we 
cut it in two pieces six feet long, which left a waste space of 
four feet in length. We then nailed the two sixteen-foot 
pieces and the two six-foot pieces together in the form of a 
rectangle as in Fig. 14. 

Then, having propped the barrels to keep them in place, 

i6ft 




Fig. 14 



6ft. 



A (end view) 



Fig. 15 



JOIST 




aft. 



B (side view) 





Fig. 16 

278 



HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 

we lifted this hollow rectangle onto them so that it rested 
on their sides as in Fig. 15. Cutting the four-foot joists into 
four one-foot pieces, we utilized them as corner braces. 

Next we fastened the barrels to the frame, and, after 
painting them with a coat of thick paint to fill the cracks, 
we launched the craft. Then we covered the frame with the 
boards, laying them crosswise. A ring-bolt in each corner 
and a roller in the middle, and an old hose-pipe tacked 
around the edges, completed the float as shown in Fig. 16. 

This we found was a most excellent float, and, above all, it 
was light, could be hauled out on the bank easily, or stored 
during the winter. 

As it rose and fell with the tide there was no trouble in 
launching the boats at any time, whereas with a dock the 
pleasures of launching at low-water are too well known to 
be described. 

Below is a table of expenditures : 

Barrels, at 25 cents each . $1.00 

Joists " $20 per M 55 

Boards " 30 " 3.00 

Nails " 4 cents a pound 20 

Paint " 20 cents a can 20 

Rings ** 20 cents each 80 

Total $5.75 

While the prices of these articles, particularly the lumber, 
have risen somewhat, the cost of this float will remain ex- 
tremely small. 



Chapter XVII 

MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP 

ROPES may be joined to one another either by knotting 
> or by splicing. If the rope belongs to the running 
rigging (such as halyards, sheets, etc.) of the vessel, it will 
be necessary to put a splice in it, as a knot would refuse to 
render (pass) through the swallow (opening) in the block. 
There are three kinds of splices in general use — namely, the 
long, the short, and the eye-splice. When joining running 
rigging a long splice is always employed, as it does not in- 
crease the diameter of the rope, and when neatly made cannot 
easily be detected. The short splice is very bulging, but it 
can be made quickly and is employed in all cases where the 
rope does not pass through blocks. The eye-splice is used 
for making a permanent loop in the end of a rope, such, for 
instance, as is seen in the hawsers by which steamboats are 
temporarily made fast to a dock, the loop or eye being 
thrown over the spile on the pier. Let us first consider the 
making of the latter splice. 

Splices 

The Eye-splice (Fig. i). — Open the end of the rope and 
lay the strands 1,2,3 upon the standing part as shown in 

280 



MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP 





PIG. I. THE EYE-SPLICE 







FIG. 2, THE SHORT SPLICE 





FIG. 3. THE LONG SPLICE 

A in Fig. i ; now push strand 4 through the rope as shown 
in B ; next thrust strand 5 over the part through which the 
former was passed, and last push the strand 6 through on 
the opposite side. Repeat this once, then cut off the remain- 
ing ends, and the spHce will appear as in C. 
The Short Splice (Fig. 2).— Hold the rope B (Fig. 2 A) 

?3t 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOY S 

in the left hand ; pass the strand 4 over i , and having thrust 
it through under 3, pull it taut; take strand 5 and pass it 
over 2 and under i ; pass strand 6 over the first strand next 
to it and under the second. Shift the rope around and treat 
the other side in the same way, and the result will be as 
shown in Fig. 2 B. This single tucking of the ends is not 
sufficient for strength, so repeat the operation once, then cut 
off the ends of the strands. 

The Long Splice (Fig. 3). — Unlay (untwist) the two ends 
to be joined some two or three feet, and place the ends togeth- 
er in the same manner as explained for the short splice. Now 
take the strand i and unlay it as far back as A, and in the 
groove left in the rope wind the strand 2 ; unlay the strand 3 
and in its place lay-up (wind) the strand 4. At this stage 
the rope will represent the appearance of Fig. 3 B. The 
middle strands, 5 and 6, will now be knotted with a simple 
overhand knot Fig. 3 C, care being observed that the knot 
is formed to follow the lay (form) of the rope. Next divide 
these* two strands equally as shown in Fig. 3 D, and tuck 
them into the rope on the same principle as explained for 
the short and eye splice. The remaining strands will be 
treated in the same manner, after which stretch the rope 
well and cut off the ends. 

Knots 

Reef Knot (Fig. 4). — This commonly used knot is also 
known as a flat knot and square knot, and is one of the 
most valuable of the many employed. As its name implies, 
it is used to tie the reef points of a sail, the stops (short 

282 



MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP 

lengths of rope) used to secure the jib to the bowsprit when 
the sail is lowered, etc. Should a person find it necessary 
in order to affect an escape from a burning building to fashion 
a line by tearing sheets into lengths and tying them together, 
this knot should be employed, for it will not slip and the 
bulge where the strips are tied will afford good hold for the 
hands. In order to make the knot, simply tie an overhand 
knot, then pass the ends so that they shall take the same lay 
(form) as the crossed parts beneath. Should the ends be 
passed (crossed) wrong, an Old Granny knot (Fig. 5) will be 
the result, and this knot will capsize (pull out of shape) and 
slip as soon as a strain is put upon it. 

Bowline Knot (Fig. 6). — Take the end (i) of the rope 
in the right hand and the standing part (2) in the left hand; 
lay the end over the standing part and turn the left wrist so 
that the standing part forms a loop (4) enclosing the end; 
now lead the end back of the standing part and above the 
loop and bring the end down through the loop again as 
shown. A bowline of this kind, sometimes called a single 
bowline, is employed in a variety of ways. Seamen sit in 
the bight (3) of this shape to be hoisted aloft under certain 
circumstances, and two towing hawsers are often made fast 
to each other by two bowlines, the bight of one being passed 
through the bight of the other. 

Bowline on a Bight (Fig. 7). — Double the rope, and take 
the double end (i) in the right hand, the standing part (2) of 
the rope in left hand; lay the end over the standing part, 
and by turning the left wrist form a loop (3), having the end 
inside; now pull up enough of the end (i) to dip under the 
bight (4) , bringing the end towards the right and dipping it 

283 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

under the bight, then passing it up to the left over the loop 
and hauling taut. This knot is employed in the same way 
as explained for the single bowline, and it may also be stated 
that it affords much amusement as a puzzle, for if the stand- 
ing part (2) is held and the knot presented to be untied, only 
those familiar with the way in which it is made will be apt 
to discover the secret of dipping the end (i) back and un- 
doing the knot by handling it in a reverse manner to that 
described for its manufacture. 

Running Bowline (Fig. 8). — The only difference between 
this knot and the one described under the head of "Bow- 
line" is that the end (i) of the rope is taken around the 
standing part (2), and then a single bowline (3) is tied on 
its own part. As will be understood by reference to the 
diagram, this forms a slipknot or lasso, and in fact it is 
employed for the same purposes as the latter. When a 
shark is hooked by sailors the great fish is hauled up until 
his head is out of water, then a running bowline is made 
around the hook-line and allowed to fall down over the fins, 
when it is hauled taut and the strain taken off the hook and 
line, so that the danger of the fish escaping may be greatly 
lessened, for the line is apt to break from the thrashing of 
the creature or the hook pull out. 

Wall Knot (Fig. 9). — Unlay the end of the rope and 
whip (tie) it where shown, and form a bight of strand i, and 
hold it down at the side represented by 2 ; pass the end of 
3 around i , and the end of 4 around 3 and through the bight 
of I, then the knot will appear as shown in Fig. 10; now 
haul the parts taut and the knot will be formed. 

Crowned Wall Knot (Fig. 11). — Over the top of the 

284 






Fig. 7 



Fig. 8 



Fig. II 





Fig. lo 



Fig. 12 




Fig' 13 



Fig. 14 





Fig. 15 Fig. 16 




Fig. 18 



Fig. 17 



Fig. ig 



3p- 




F^?>- ^^ Fig. 21 



Fig. 22 




KNOTS 
285 



Fig. 23 Fig. 24 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

knot lay the strand i, then lay strand 2 over i, and strand 
3 over 2 , and pass it through the bight of i ; now haul taut 
the parts and the knot will take the shape shown in Fig. 12. 

Double Wall and Double Crown Knot (Fig. 13). — 
This is made by allowing the strands to follow their respect- 
ive parts round, first walling, then crowning, as shown in 
the diagram. This formation is also used as a Stopper Knot 
and a Man Rope Knot, although a proper Stopper Knot is 
shown in Fig. 14. It is a very beautiful knot when nicely 
made, and as a fancy knot is common on yachts and naval 
vessels. 

Matthew Walker Knot (Fig 15). — As its name implies, 
this knot is named after the man who invented it. It is 
exceedingly simple and easy to make, and is in common use 
on board of all vessels. Unlay the strands for a short dis- 
tance, and pass the end i around the rope and through its 
own bight ; next the strand 2 underneath and through the 
bight of I, also its own bight; last the strand 3 underneath 
and through the bights of i and 2. When hauled taut the 
knot will appear as in Fig. 16. 

Diamond Knot (Fig. 17). — Unlay the strands as for a 
Matthew Walker Knot, and form three bights and then 
take strand i over 2 and through the bight of 3 ; take strand 
2 over 3 and through the bight of i ; take strand 3 over i and 
through the bight of 2, then haul the parts taut, and lay up 
(arrange) the strands of the rope again, and the knot will 
then appear as in Fig. 18. What is known as a Double 
Diamond Knot (Fig. 19) may be made by leading the 
strands through two single bights, having the ends come 
out at the top of the knot, then leading the last strand 

286 



MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP 

through two double bights; last lay the strands up as pre- 
viously explained, and the knot will show as in Fig. 19. 

Turk's Head Knot (Fig. 20). — This is purely an orna- 
mental knot, and is used to beautify yoke lines for a row- 
ing boat, man ropes, ridge ropes, gangway ropes, etc. The 
material used in the construction of this knot is regulated 
according to the character of the article to be decorated, 
ranging from twine to signal halyard stuff (line). To make 
this knot, form a clove hitch, and bring the bight of i 
(Fig. 21) under the bight of 2, then take the end up through 
it, make another cross with the bights, and take the end 
down. Fig. 22 represents a Turk's Head of two lays, but 
it may have any number of lays, it being necessary only to 
follow the lead around according to the formation desired. 

Rope Yarn Knot (Fig. 23). — It is to be explained that 
a rope yarn is simply one of the several parts which make a 
strand of rope. When a strand is untwisted, its parts be- 
come rope yarns. These yarns are used for a number of pur- 
poses, such as for rough seizings, etc. When a considerable 
length of rope yarn is required, it is necessary to knot it 
smoothly, and this is effected in the following manner : Split 
in halves the two ends of the rope yarns, and crotch and tie 
the two opposite ends, then jam the tie and cut off the re- 
maining ends. 

Lark's Head Knot (Fig. 24). — This knot is used on the 
same principle as explained for the Slippery Hitch ; when it 
is desired to undo it quickly, simply pull out the wooden 
toggle I. The making of the knot will be fully understood 
by consulting the diagram. 

Ropes are temporarily fastened to one another, or to a 

287 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

spar, hook, ring-bolt, etc., by bends and by hitches. These 
are all more or less simple, and a little practice and patience 
is all that is necessary for the young reader to become expert 
in their manufacture. Let us first consider the bends in 
general use. 

Bends 

Common Bend (Fig. 25). — This is also known as a single 
bend^ and is used for making one rope fast to another in a 
hurry. Make a bight with one rope, and hold it in the left 
hand; pass the end of the other rope i through the bight 
2, then back round the two parts 3, over the rope 4, under 
the rope 5 , and over the short end of the loop. If the 
end I is taken around once more and through the bight 
again, as shown in Fig. 26, the bend will stand a greater 
strain and be less liable to jam. The bend shown in Fig. 26 
is known as a double bend. 

Carrick Bend (Fig. 27). — This, like the common bend, 
is used for bending hawsers together, but is a trifle more 
difficult to make. Make a bight with the end of one rope; 
pass the end of the other rope through the bight and over 
the standing part of the first rope where marked i, then 
under the end 2, and again through the bight and over the 
standing part 3. 

Fisherman's Bend (Fig. 28). — First pass the rope twice 
round the spar or ring, which act is understood by sailors 
as ''taking two round turns," next take a half hitch round 
the standing part, then thrust the end under the two turns, 
and last half hitch the end round the standing part A. 
When hauled taut the bend will appear as shown in Fig. 29. 

288 



MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP 



Sheet Bend (Fig. 30). — Pass the end i through the eye; 
take two turns round, observing in each case that the end 
passes under the standing part 2. The greater the strain, 




Fig- 25 




Fig. 26 



Fig. 28 



Ftg. 29 



Fig. 27 







Fig. 32 
I _ _ ^^*^- 31 Fig. 33 

the more the standing part binds the tv/o turns, and insures 
them from slipping. 

Hitches 

Two Half Hitches (Fig. 31). — This is an exceedingly 
simple way of fastening a rope, and it has the double ad- 
vantage of being proof against jamming. Take a turn 
around the object to which it is desired to fasten; bring the 
end I on top of the standing part 2, then pass it under and 
bring it up through the bight ; repeat this process, haul taut, 

289 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

and the result will show as in Fig. 32. In case the hitch is 
to be subjected to a great strain, lash the end of the rope to 
the standing part where marked 3 in Fig. 32. 

Clove Hitch (Fig. 33). — This is another very useful 
hitch, but is only employed when the strain upon it is 
temporary. It is in general use for bending a heaving-line 
(small rope) to a hawser so that a coil of the former may be 
thrown from a vessel to the dock and, after it is caught, the 
hawser pulled ashore. 

Slippery Hitch (Fig. 34). — This hitch is simply a turn 
around a spar or other object or through an eye, the end 
carried across the standing part, and a loop put through the 
bight, the end i being allowed to hang out. When it is 
desired to separate the hitch, pull out the loop by hauling 
on the end i . 

Blackwall Hitch (Fig. 35). — This is used in hoisting. 
Simply take a turn around the back of the hook, crossing 
the parts of the rope in front as shown. When a strain is 
put on the standing part of the rope, the underneath part 
is jammed and slipping prevented. 

Timber Hitch (Fig. 36). — A hitch employed in towing 
spars and logs, as it will not slip. Pass the end i of the rope 
around the spar and lead it up and around the standing part 
2 , then pass two or three turns with the end around its own 
part as shown in the illustration. 

Rolling Hitch (Fig. 37). — A very good method of clap- 
ping (fastening) a tail-block. Take a hitch with the tail i ; 
take another hitch over the first; pass the end under the 
standing part 2, and twist the remainder of the tail round 
the rope, following the lay. A tail-block, being portable, is 

290 



MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP 

convenient to make fast anywhere about decks or the rig- 
ging, and a rope being rove through this block, a purchase, 
called a *'whip," is created. 

Magnus Hitch (Fig. 38). — Some people confuse this 
hitch with the rolling hitch just described, but a comparison 
of the two will explain the difference between them. With 
the end of the rope i pass two turns over the spar; carry 
the end in front of the standing part 2 ; pass it again under 




Fig. 40 



Fig. 41 



Fig. 44 



the spar and bring it up through the bight. The value of 
this hitch is its insurance against slipping in the direction 
represented by the arrow. 

Catspaw Hitch (Fig. 39). — Like the Blackwall Hitch, 
this one is used for making a rope fast to a hook for hoist- 

ao 291 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

ing purposes. Seize the bight of the rope in your two 
hands, and by turning the wrists form the two loops, then 
hang these loops on the hook as in Fig. 40. 

Sheepshank Hitch (Fig. 41). — A quick way of shortening 
a rope without cutting it is to convert a portion of it into 
a shape known as a sheepshank. Gather up the spare rope 
and lay it in parallel lines as shown. These parallel lines 
may be represented by any number, according to the quan- 
tity of spare rope and the length of the sheepshank. In the 
accompanying diagrams we show the smallest sheepshank 
that can be made, consisting of three parallel lines. After 
forming the rope as shown in Fig. 41, take a half hitch with 
the standing part i round the bight 4, and repeat this at the 
other extremity with the standing part 2 and the bight 3. 
The result will be as shown in Fig. 42. If it is desired to 
make this hitch doubly secure, put a seizing (fastening) 7 
on the loops 5 and standing parts 6 (Fig. 43). 

Marling Hitch (Fig. 44) . — Employed to make a running 
binding which can be put on and removed quickly. 



Part IV 
IN THE WOODS 



Chapter XVIII 

CAMPS AND CAMPING 

CAMPING in the mountains, fields, and forests is one of 
the most delightful features of life in the summer-time. 
But a good deal of the fun depends upon doing things the 
right way. 

To experienced campers many of the following ideas and 
descriptions may be familiar, but among them there may 
be some suggestions that will be found of value. 

The tent is the all-important thing, and to make one large 
enough for two or three boys is not a difficult matter. What 
the boy does, not know on his first camping expedition, 
necessity will teach him, and much satisfaction may be had 
in constructing bunks and tables and the other varied para- 
phernalia of camp life. 

A Tent of Hcditim Size 

¥{g. I shows a serviceable and roomy tent and fly of 
medium size, which measures eight feet wide, ten feet long, 
and seven feet high to the peak or ridge. The side drops or 
aprons are thirty inches high, and against them on both 
sides of the tent cots may rest on the ground as shown in 
the illustration. 

295 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The fly is ten feet wide and fifteen feet long, and is an 
extra covering for the tent in case of a hard rain-storm; 
while in clear weather and with another ridge-pole and up- 
right, it can be used to lengthen the tent by extending it 
out beyond the front, where it is to be held fast with stakes 
and stanchion-ropes. 

The plan shown in Fig. 2 gives the dimensions of canvas, 
and when the final sewing is done the edges C C at both 
ends of the tent are brought together and securely overcast 
with stout waxed cord. 

The only openings are at front and back, and they can be 
closed by means of tabs and button-holes at one side, and 
large bone buttons made fast to the other edge in a corre- 
sponding position to the tabs. 

Where the iron pins of the uprights project through the 
canvas, make a circular patch at least six inches in diameter 
with two or three thicknesses of the canvas, and sew it fast 
both at the hole and around the outer edge. This will 
strengthen the canvas at the most vital point, and pre- 
vent it from tearing if a heavy wind should strain the 
tent. 

Twilled cotton sail-cloth is the proper material of which 
to make the tent, but if this cannot be had, then a stout 
quality of unbleached muslin will answer very well for clear 
weather; but in wet weather it will not shed the water so 
well as the twilled duck. The seams can be sewed on a 
machine, but they will be much stronger if sewed by hand 
with white cotton cord well waxed. All the edges of the 
cloth should be bound with rope about the size and strength 
of clothes-line, so that any attachments made to the edges 

296 




%,5 




-- 


'^--^ - i-^^l 








D D -t 






.^-6" J 







/=^/g3 





A TENT OF MEDIUM SlZfJ 

397 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

will be borne by the rope instead of all the strain coming on 
the canvas. 

On the dotted lines D D in the plan, which indicates the 
inner edges of the aprons, one-inch harness-rings are to be 
sewed on the straps, through which to reave the guy and 
stanchion ropes. There should be four straps to this tent, 
making five strips of canvas two feet wide; and these 
strengthening straps are three-quarters of an inch in width, 
and made by lapping the canvas over and sewing it along 
both edges as shown in the little diagram marked E below 
the plan in Fig. 2. 

If a closed end is preferred instead of the flaps at the 
rear of the tent, a back, in one piece, as shown in Fig. 3, can 
be made and sewed all around the edges, bringing the edges 
A A against the edge B, and joining the vertical edges C C 
to the ends of the side aprons on the main sheet. 

For ventilation, a flap opening may be made at the top 
of this end as you can see in Fig. 3 ; and with tabs and 
buttons this can be closed when necessary, or tied back 
with strings, either to the inside or outside of the tent, 
where they should be caught to small harness-rings sewed 
to the canvas. 

The fly is bound with rope all around the outer edge, 
from which ropes extend out from each end, so that in hot 
weather, if the sun plays on the tent, it may be kept cool 
by raising the outer ends of the fly and propping them up 
with poles at the four corners, and perhaps one extra one 
at the middle of each side. (See the illustration for the 
canopy over the table and seats, Fig. 10). 

The ridge-pole to hold up this tent is of pine or spruce, 

298 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



ten feet long, one inch and a half thick, and four inches 
wide. The uprights are two inches square, with the sharp 
corners planed off, making them octagonal in shape, and 
they should be from seven to nine feet in length. The 
upper ends of the uprights are bound with cord or an iron 
band to prevent them from splitting when the iron pin is 
driven in place. They are to be bored to receive a half- 
inch pin, so that eight inches of it will project above the 
top of the upright as shown in Fig. 4. Five-eighth-inch 
holes are bored in the ridge-pole one inch and a half from 
each end, and through these the pins in the uprights will 
pass. 

The stanchion-ropes are caught around the heads of long 
pegs or stakes, twenty -four inches long, two inches wide, 
and one inch in thickness, with a notch cut three inches 
from the top as shown in Fig. 5. Cleats four inches long, 
two inches wide, and seven-eighths of an inch thick are 
provided with two holes through which the stanchion-ropes 
pass, and they are used to draw the ropes taut, as shown in 
Fig. 5, where the strain on the long rope pulls the short end 
down and chocks the rope. 

The stakes are to be driven into the ground so that but 
five or six inches of them project. The lower they are the 
better purchase they get in the ground and the more securely 
the tent is anchored. 

The extra ridge-pole for the fly can be cut at one end so 
that it will lap in a corresponding manner on the front end 
of the tent ridge-pole as shown in Fig. 6. For long tents, 
where it is necessary to have the sticks in short lengths, for 
convenience in carrying them, the ridge-pole can be in two 

299 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

or three pieces, lapped together at the ends as shown in 
the figure drawing, so that the pin in the upright will com- 
plete the union. 

When erecting the tent, dig two holes for the uprights 
to rest in, and embed them so that seven feet of pole will be 
above the ground, on which the ridge-pole will rest, and in 
turn the canvas covering. The stakes are driven three feet 
out on either side of the aprons so that the stanchion-ropes 
will line with the pitch of the tent. 

A Large Camping-tent 

For a company of boys numbering from four to eight a 
large camping-tent is shown in Fig. 7. 

If it is made twenty feet long, ten feet wide, and eight 
feet high to the ridge-pole, it will accommodate six cots and 
two hammocks swung from the ridge-pole. 

A plan by which to cut the cloth and make the tent is 
shown in Fig. 8, and in Fig. 9 the plan for the back is given. 
If an open back be preferred, the flaps shown at the bottom 
of Fig. 8 may be duplicated at the rear of the tent. 

This tent, when erected, is twenty feet long and eight 
feet high from the ground to the ridge-pole, with the aprons 
at the sides three feet high instead of thirty inches as in the 
smaller tent. Three uprights two inches and a half square 
support the ridge-pole, which for convenience of transporta- 
tion may be in two pieces and lapped at the middle as shown 
in Fig. 6. 

This tent is made in the same manner as described for the 
smaller one, and a fly twenty-two feet long and eighteen feet 

300 




TENTS AND CANOPIES 
301 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

wide is supported over the tent where, in clear weather, it 
can be propped up at the outer edges as shown at the left 
side of the illustration. The fly is drawn back at the right 
side to show how the guy and stanchion ropes are attached 
to the stakes, so as to prevent the wind from blowing the 
tent backward and forward as well as from side to side. 

A flag-pole four feet high may be erected on the middle 
upright by leaving the pin at the top longer, so that it will 
extend up and into a hole bored in the lower end of the flag- 
pole. The lower end of the pole must be bound with cord 
or wire to prevent splitting. A small pulley at the top, and 
a set of halyards, will make it possible to raise a club flag 
or pennant. 

All around the lower edge of the tent one-inch galvanized 
rings should be sewed fast about twelve inches apart. 
Through these the apron and ends may be tied fast to short 
stakes or wooden pins driven in the ground. This will be 
quite necessary in the event of a storm or strong wind, as 
otherwise the lower part of the tent will blow up and flap 
around in a disagreeable manner. 

When erecting a tent of this size, care should be taken to 
anchor it securely and brace it well with the stanchion and 
guy ropes, for its size offers considerable resistance to a 
strong wind. A little care and forethought will sometimes 
avert a catastrophe with a tent, and when erecting one do 
not trust anything to luck, but snug your tent and keep 
ropes taut. 

If it is possible to get some boards and a few joist, it 
would be well to make a flooring, if you are to stay in one 
place for any length of time. 

302 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



Always select a level, dry place for the tent, and if possi- 
ble erect it on ground that is slightly higher than that 
around it so as to drain the surface-water away. 

Flies and Canopies 

Every camping-tent should have a fly — that is, an extra 
canvas roof — ^for no matter how good the canvas of which 
it is made, it will become thoroughly soaked in a heavy 
rain ; but if protected by a fly the latter will lead the water 
off and receive the greater part of the wetting. Such a 
fly is shown clearly in the illustration of the large camping- 
tent. Fig. 7. 

The fly should always be a trifle wider than the tent is 
long, and in length it should be long enough to cover the 
roof of the tent and extend a foot or eighteen inches be- 
yond the sides, where it rests on the stanchion-ropes and is 
lashed fast to pegs in the ground. The overhang, or ex- 
tension, leads the water out beyond the apron of the tent 
and prevents the ground from becoming wet close to the 
tent. 

Another use for this overhang is to prevent the rain driv- 
ing against the aprons of the tent and wetting them close to 
the cots. In fair weather, when it is possible to dine out- 
side the tent, the fly can be used as a canopy, if drawn over 
a ridge-pole and held up at the ends by means of poles and 
stanchion-ropes . 

A canopy of this kind is shown in Fig. 10, where it is 
erected over a table and seats. It is always well, indeed, to 
have two flies to a tent, so that one can be used for a canopy 

303 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

or an auxiliary tent, under which a fire can be built and 
meals cooked and eaten when it is raining. 

For a small camp a fly or canopy, twelve feet wide and 
eighteen feet long, will prove very useful in many ways ; but 
for a larger camp it should measure fifteen by twenty-five 
feet. Under one of this size a party of ten or twelve people 
can be comfortably seated, with plenty of room all aroimd. 

Flies or canopies should be bound with rope all around 
the edges, and at distances from twelve to eighteen inches 
apart three-quarter-inch galvanized rings should be made 
fast. Through these stanchion-ropes may be reared wherever 
it is necessary to attach the sheet to branches or poles set in 
the ground. 

A Hotjsc-tcnt 

One of the latest features in the modern camp is the 
house-tent, in which the lower part is floored and boarded 
half-way up, while the balance of the sides and the roof are 
of canvas. This style of camp-tent has become very popu- 
lar in California and through the Southwest, where at least 
six months of each year are spent out-of-doors. For the 
boys who are about to build a permanent camp for several 
years' use, a house-tent such as shown in Figs, ii and 12 
will prove very satisfactory, and more desirable than the 
plain pitched tent. 

Fig. II shows the house-tent closed in stormy weather 
or at night, while in Fig. 12 the house is open for fair- 
weather living. One wooden side is let down to form a 
piazza, and the canvas side above it is propped out with 
poles so as to act as a canopy or sunshade. 

304 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



The frame is twelve feet long, eight feet wide, and nine 
feet high from the roof to the peak. The wood sides are 
three feet and six inches above the floor, and out beyond 
the sides of the house the joist may extend to support one 
or both of the wooden sides, which can be let down by means 
of hinges along the bottom. When the sides are lowered 




they act as piazzas and nearly double the floor space of the 
house-tent ; while the canvas sides, when propped out with 
long, slim poles, add equally to the roof area in the way of 
sunshades. 

In Fig. 13 a clear idea is given for the framing, which is 
of spruce planed on the four sides. The uprights and 
rafters are of two-by-three-inch stock, while for the under 
timbers two-by-four or preferably two-by-six rough stock 
can be used. The joist or flooring beams rest on the ends 
of posts embedded two feet in the ground, to which they are 
spiked with long, steel- wire nails. The flooring, of four-inch 
matched boards, is laid on the space within the four corner 
uprights, and the same or wider boards may be employed 
for the sheathing. 

305 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

If both sides are to let down, a window can be set only 
at the back of this house-tent; but if only one side lets 
down the window may be arranged at the enclosed side be- 
tween uprights the same as the rear window is placed. 

The triangular end-pieces of canvas are attached to the 
frame with copper or tinned tacks, so that they will not 
rust, and the roof and both sides are of one piece made by 
sewing together lengths of canvas or twilled sheeting. At 
the front and back it is drawn over the edges of the end 
rails, forming the roof, and tacked to hold it in place. 

At the front, on either side of the doorway, the canvas 
may be arranged to roll up in clear weather. The rolls are 
held to the upper frame-bar with cord or straps as shown 
in Fig. 12. 

The front door is thirty inches wide and is made from 
boards and battens, and provided with a knob lock by 
means of which it can be opened from either side. 

The side that lets down to form the piazza is battened on 
the outside, as may be seen in Fig. ii where the house is 
closed. When the side is down the battens drop in between 
the extended floor joist or beams. 

Folding-cots can be used in this house, or bunks may be 
built in against the side and end — two at the side and one 
at the end under the window. When the drop-side is up 
and fastened for the night, another cot can be placed at 
that side, while from corner to corner a hammock may be 
swung. 

When camp is broken up in the fall the canvas is to be 
removed from the framework and kept for next season, 
but the frame may be left standing. It would be better to 

306 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



remove the door and sashes and slide them under the floor, 
for they would offer too much resistance to the wind if left 
standing in place, and might break or cause the framework 
of the house to rack and become rickety during the winter 
storms and high winds. 

A coat or two of paint on the wood- work will improve its 
appearance greatly and preserve the wood, if the house is to 
be used for a number of seasons. 

The New Tent 

One great drawback to the pitched or army tent is that 
in wet weather, when one has to stay in-doors, it is not 
a comfortable abode unless you sit down or keep close to the 
ground, for there is little or no head room. 

In the illustration of the new tent with French roof (Fig. 
14) you can readily see the great advantage of this new 
method of construction, for it affords a great deal of head 
room. 

Two uprights, three ridge-poles, and four angle-bars will 
be required for the frame, and some long, slim poles with 
crotched ends can be cut to prop the guy -ropes out from 
the tent as shown in the illustration. For a party of three 
or four boys this tent should measure seven feet and six 
inches high, six feet and six inches broad at the top, eight 
feet at the bottom, and ten or twelve feet deep. The sides 
and top are in one piece, twenty-one feet long and ten or 
twelve feet wide. The rear end is made in one piece and 
sewed fast to the edges of the sides and top. 

At the front two flaps are sewed to the top and sides. 

307 



OUTDOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

_ 

They each measure seven feet and six inches long at the 
inner edge, four feet across the bottom, three feet and five 
inches at the top, and seven feet long at the outer edge. 
They are cut as shown in Fig. 15 A, and when the tent is 
set up the canvas will appear as shown in Fig. 15 B. 

The frame is composed of two uprights two inches square 
and nine feet long, eighteen inches of which is set into the 
ground. There are three ridge-poles two inches in diam- 
eter and ten feet long ; and four brace - bars two inches 
square, four feet and three inches long, bevelled at the lower 
ends to fit against the upright post as shown at Fig. 16 A. 
An iron pin (Fig. 16 D) is driven in the top of each upright 
and at the outer ends of the brace-bars over which the ridge- 
poles fit, they having been provided with holes for the pur- 
pose. Angle-irons are screwed fast to the bevelled ends of 
the brace -bars, and a collar of iron is made and screwed to 
the uprights so that the tongue end of the angle-irons will 
fit in them as shown at Fig. 16 B. Stout screw-eyes and 
wire hold the braces in position at the top, as shown at Fig. 

16 C, and so prevent the outer ridge-poles from straining the 
canvas. 

One of the best anchorages for the guy-ropes of a tent is 
made with the lock-stake and deadeye cleat shown at Fig. 

17 A. A stake with a notch to hold the rope is driven into 
the ground, and another notched stake is driven in close to 
the head, so that when in far enough the notch in the latter 
will hold the head of the former as shown at Fig. 17 B. 
The deadeye cleat is cut from hard-wood seven-eighths of 
an inch thick, and is two inches wide, six inches long, and 
provided with two holes three inches apart. At one end a 

308 





^/<S/S^ 





OUT>DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

jaw is cut, so that a rope may be caught in it as shown in 
Fig, 17 A. Steel- wire nails are passed through the holes 
indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 7 C, and riveted at the 
point ends to strengthen the deadeyes. 

The manner in which it is used is shown at Fig. 17 A, and 
if the holes are made the same size as the diameter of the 
rope, the harder you pull on the tent end of the rope, the 
more securely the deadeye cleat holds, and the loose end 
of the rope caught first in the jaw can be given a turn or 
two around the cleat to make it fast. 

The double-peg anchorage is better than a single one, 
and with this new rope -fastener it will be an easy matter 
to stay a tent to withstand any wind-storm. 

Canvas Cots and Hammocks 

Cots are very necessary parts of the camping outfit, and 
may be made either of canvas and poles or of boughs and 
leaves. The canvas cot is, of course, much more comfortable 
than the one of boughs, but sometimes' it is not possible to 
transport them, and then the bough bed must be resorted to. 

A simple canvas cot is easily made from two pine or spruce 
sticks seven feet long, two inches in diameter, and free from 
knots or sappy places. A piece of light canvas or twilled 
cotton duck fifty -four inches wide and seventy -two inches 
long is sewed together so as to form a cylindrical case thirty- 
six inches wide and seventy-two inches long. Lay it flat 
and crease it along the edges, then run two or three lines of 
stitching along both sides four inches in from the edges. This 
forms the sleeve through which the poles are to be passed. 

.^10 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



Crotched sticks are to be embedded in the ground to sup- 
port the ends of the poles as shown in Fig. i8. These are 
to extend a foot or eighteen inches above the ground, and 
should be three inches in diameter and quite strong, so as 
to- avoid breakage and a possible fall. 

If a folding-cot with portable ends is desired, it can be 
made to appear as shown in Fig. 19 by constructing two 
folding ends, a middle pole, and four iron brace-hooks. 

To make the cot twenty-six inches wide, procure the can- 




/^/G22 



311 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

vas and poles as directed for the first cot. Bind the ends 
of the poles with wire or have a blacksmith band them with 
iron ferrules, then bore the ends and drive threaded pins in, 
having nuts at the ends as shown at Fig. 20 A. From 
maple or oak two inches wide and an inch thick cut four 
legs thirty-two inches long, and bore holes at one end and 
midway between ends, as shown in Fig. 20 B, to receive the 
bolt ends in the poles. Bevel off the lower ends of the sticks 
and place them in opposite directions, so that when opened, 
in the form of an X, the ends will lie flat on the ground as 
shown in Fig. 19. From pine or spruce cut a stick two inches 
square, and provide the ends with bolts and nuts as shown 
in Fig. 20 C. This is for the under brace, and extends from 
end to end where the bolt passes through both legs, and is 
attached with a nut and washer. 

From iron an inch wide and less than a quarter of an inch 
in thickness have a blacksmith cut four hook-braces eigh- 
teen inches long with a hole at one end and a notch at the 
other. With round-headed screws attach two of the braces 
near each end of the pole, as shown in Fig. 20 C, so that 
when the cot is set up the notches will hook over screws 
driven in the upper edge of each leg near the bottom as 
shown in Fig. 19. These will steady the cot, and prevent 
it from rocking from end to end as it would do if not 
braced. 

A hammock that can be swung between the uprights of a 
tent is made of canvas thirty inches wide and seventy-two 
inches long. It is lapped over at the ends and sewed with 
several lines of stitching, so as to receive a two-inch bar to 
which the three ropes are made fast as shown in Fig. 21. 

312 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



The end ropes should be twenty-four inches long and the 
middle one eighteen. From the bars at each end they are 
brought together and bound to rings which slip over hooks 
made fast to the tent uprights, or they can be lashed fast 
to the uprighiis. Any number of these hammocks may be 
made and easily carried, as they roll up snugly and occupy 
very little room in a bedding-kit. They are much easier to 
handle than a woven or braided hammock, the strands of 
which are forever catching in everything and anything with 
which they come into contact. 

When making a cot of boughs the most satisfactory and 
comfortable affair is the basket-woven or lattice mattress of 
small, pliable saplings trimmed and interwoven as shown 
in Fig. 2 2. The long pieces should be alternated so that the 
large end of one stick will be next the small end of another, 
and thus distribute the strain evenly over the lattice. This 
arrangement applies also to the shorter or cross-pieces, and 
when finished the mattress is laid on a pair of poles supported 
with crotched sticks, as shown in Fig. i8, but without the 
canvas. 

Over this lattice short twigs with clusters of leaves are 
spread, to make a soft mattress, and on these in turn a 
blanket or two can be spread and tied down at the corners, 
so that the leaves may not become dislodged. 

Tables and Benches 

Every boy should know how to make a table from some 
fence boards, a rail or two, and stakes for the legs. The 
table shown in Fig. 23 is made from three boards about 

313 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

eight inches wide and five feet long battened together at 
the ends and across the under side of the middle. 

A rail is nailed across two tree-trunks thirty-two inches 
from the ground, to which one end of the boards are at- 
tached. Two stakes three inches thick are driven in the 
ground four feet from the trees, and across the upper ends 
of them a rail is nailed fast to support the other ends of the 
boards. 

A larger table is shown in Fig. 24, and like the smaller one 
it is built against two trees. The boards, three or four in 
number, should be from six to eight feet long. They are 
nailed fast to four or five inch rails attached to the tree- 
trunks and to stout posts embedded in the ground. The 
middle of the table is supported by a batten, or rail, which 
is nailed fast to the top of a post embedded under the centre 
of the table. 

Chairs made for camp life from rustic wood and pieces of 
board need not be so well constructed that any great amount 
of time should be expended on them, but they should be 
strong and serviceable. 

A simple chair that any boy can make from branches or 
small tree- trunks, two or three inches in diameter, is shown 
in Fig. 25. The seat is eighteen inches high, sixteen inches 
square, and the back posts are thirty-six inches high. Two 
pieces of wood, eighteen inches long, are cut as shown at 
Fig. 26 A, and two more, thirty-six inches long, are cut as 
shown at B. The laps are cut out with saw and chisel so as 
to receive the seat -rails, the braces, and the back board, 
which are made fast with steel-wire nails as shown at C. 
The seat is made of ordinary boards nailed to the top edges 

314 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 




of the rails all around, and if the edge is smoothed off there 
will be less liability to tear one's garments. 

In the illustration of a canopy (Fig. lo, page 301), a 
table and benches are shown. The table is thirty inches 
wide and five feet long, and it can be built either detached 
or fast to the ground. If the corner-posts are embedded a 
foot or eighteen inches in the ground it will make the table 
firmer and less liable to rack than if built loose or detached. 

Two benches running the length of the tables are made 
in a similar manner to the chairs, but if the corner-posts or 
legs are to be embedded in the ground the side braces will 
not be necessary. The seat should be eighteen inches high, 
sixteen inches wide, and from five to eight feet long, as occa- 
sion requires, and with a middle brace it will appear as 
shown in Fig. 27. 

315 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Camping Equipment 

In fitting out for a camping expedition it is always best 
to make a memorandum of the things you will need some time 
before you start, for so surely as you do not do this there 
will be some important things forgotten. The stuff that 
will fill an ordinary clothes-basket should be enough for a 
company of four boys, but for a greater number the supply 
must be increased accordingly. 

In this list there must be included a kettle, two pans, tin 
or enamelled dishes, a frying-pan or two, a broiler, a wooden 
pail for water, and smaller tin pails; a lantern, candles, 
matches in tin boxes, hatchet or axe, blankets, knives and 
forks, spoons, and a few other culinary accessories. The 
dry groceries will have to be taken from home, unless they 
can be purchased near the camp or from some farm-house. 
From the latter it is generally possible to obtain butter, 
milk, eggs, a chicken or two, and other food that you may 
stand in need of if hunting or fishing fail you. 

In Fig. 28, showing a corner of the tent, a portable 
table is supporting some of the things it would be well 
to have in camp, and while a boy may think that he 
knows what is wanted, it would be well for him to take 
his mother's or older sister's advice on the subject. 

Lockers and Mess-kits 

Lock-boxes with handles, in which to store dry groceries 
and foods, and mess-kits for the kitchen and dining ware, 
are among the most important parts of the camping outfit. 

316 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



They may be made from ordinary well-constructed boxes, 
and provided with hinged lids, a hasp and padlock, and 
handles at either end by means of which they may be carried 
easily. 

The lock-box shown in Fig. 29 A is eighteen inches wide, 
twenty-four inches long, and twelve inches deep, and with 
two thin boards four compartments are made as shown in 
Fig. 29 A. A lid is made of three boards and two battens, 
and securely attached to the box with strap hinges. 

A hasp and padlock as well as two handles can be pur- 
chased at a hardware store and screwed fast to the chest. 

A mess-kit miay be made of a box with both lid and bottom 
nailed on securely. It is then sawed around three inches 
from one side, dividing it so that quite a little of the wood 
is fast to both sides. With hinges these are fastened to- 
gether like a Gladstone bag, and on the inside, pockets and 
straps can be arranged to accommodate cooking-utensils 
and food-stuffs. Fig. 29 B shows this kit, and with a trunk- 
strap and a rope it can be easily carried from place to place. 

For knives, forks, spoons, kettle-lids, and other small para- 
phernalia of the camping outfit a nest of pockets may be 
made from denim or unbleached muslin, like the one shown 
hanging on the wall in Fig. 28. The pockets are commodi- 
ous and will accommodate many little things, and the nest 
can be folded over and tied at the corners with stout cord. 
A nest of this description should be three feet long, thirty 
inches high, and with three lines of pockets as shown in the 
illustration. The sewing should be done by hand with 
heavy linen or carpet thread, so that the stitching will not 
break. 

3^7 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 




/^/G 50 



~r^ — r — T 
<^ ;j^' >%. 



JLy^g^. (Q, > Bf 



CARRY-ALL 



fig. 28 






A 
-/o 3/ 




A carry-all (Fig. 30) is made of denim or light sail-cloth, 
and will be found the most convenient sort of a catch-all, 
for it may be folded over and rolled up, then bound with a 
shawl-strap to carry it easily. 

318 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



A piece of denim a yard wide and forty-two inches long 
is folded at the dotted lines A A as shown in the plan (Fig. 
31). The edges will then reach the lines B B. Sew the flaps 
at the two ends and divide the long pockets into smaller 
ones as shown in Fig. 30. Knives, forks, spoons, and a 
variety of small things can be kept in this nest of pockets, 
and when in camp it may be hung from one end by rings, so 
that the pockets occupy a horizontal position and the con- 
tents can be easily gotten at. 

A Stone Stove and Camp-fires 

The old-time tripod and kettle over an open fire of brush 
and logs is an unhandy means of cooking, for a sudden gust 
of wind will blow the smoke and sparks in all directions and 
dissipate the heat as well. 

The up-to-date campers will make a stone stove similar 
to the one shown in Fig. 32. This holds the fire within the 
stone enclosure, and retains the greater part of the heat, 
which in the open fire is blowing to the four winds and giv- 
ing very little benefit to the pot. 

Flat stones should be used in the construction of this 
stove, and if it is possible to get some clay from the bed of a 
brook it can be used in place of cement for sealing the joints. 
This of course will make the fire burn better, as the only 
draught will then enter at the bottom, or doorway, through 
which the sticks are fed to the fire. 

These doorways or draught - holes should be made on 
two or three sides of the stove, and when one is in use 
the others may be closed or left open, according to the 

319 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

strength of the wind and the direction from which it is 
blowing. 

The pot should be hung on the ridge-pole so that it 
touches the top of the stove and holds in the heat. Fish 
may be fried in a pan or broiled much better than over an 
open fire, and water can be boiled quicker and coffee made 
easier. 

This stove can be made either round or square, and if 
bricks are available for use they will be better than stones 
as the joints are closer and they are not so ungainly to 
handle. Over the stove a ridge-pole or bar should be sup- 
ported on a yoked stick at one end and a twin-stick tripod 
at the other. The yoked or crotched stick is embedded in 
the ground, or it can be the sawed-off stump of a small tree. 
The lower ends of the twin sticks should be let into the 
ground for a foot or eighteen inches, so that the ridge-bar 
can be removed without its supports falling over. 

Always build a fire or a stove in the shade, for it will not 
burn so well if the sun plays on it. In rainy weather a 
canopy over this stone stove will keep it dry and cause it to 
burn better than if exposed to the elements. 

Here are some other ideas for camp-fires proper. Let 
us suppose that the party is provided with the neces- 
sary utensils for camp-cooking — a camp-kettle, coffee-pot, 
frying-pan, saucepan, and some sort of baking-pan. These 
should prove sufficient, unless the party intends having quite 
elaborate menus. If it is intended to remain at the camp 
only while cooking one or two meals, make your fire in this 
manner: Cut two green poles about five or six inches thick 
and about two feet long. In these cut notches about a foot 

320 



CAMPS AND CAM PING 

apart. Level the ground where you intend to build your 
fire, and lay these poles down with the notches up and about 
three feet apart. Now cut two or three poles about four 
feet -long and lay them in these notches. Gather a good 




Fig. 33 




^.. 




Fig. 34 




Fig. 35 

321 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

supply of dry wood, grass, bark, or chips, and make your 
fire on the ground between the poles. The air will circulate 
under and through the fire, and the poles will prove just 
right to set your cooking-utensils on. Do not pile on wood 
by the armful. Add a little at a time, and you will find you 
can cook rapidly and well, and not burn your face and hands 
while attending to your cooking. 

If it is intended to remain several meals at the camp it 
will pay to put up a crane. This is built in this manner: 
Cut two green posts two or more inches thick and three feet 
long, having forks at one end. Drive these into the ground 
at each end of your fire. Cut another green pole the same 
diameter and long enough to reach between the forks. 
Flatten the ends so that they will set snug in the forks. 

The poles should be driven into the ground so that when 
the bail of the kettle is slipped on the crane the bottom of 
the kettle will just clear the fire. 

If the camp is to be of a permanent nature, or it is expect- 
ed to remain there for some days or weeks, it will be well to 
arrange for a better kitchen that will not be affected by the 
winds, the hete noire of camp-cooking. Dig a trench (cutting 
the sides square) as long as the distance between your up- 
rights, and about eighteen inches wide and a foot deep. 
Make your fire in this hole, on the ground, and you will find 
that the wind will not worry you one-half as much as before 
(Fig. 33). If you wish to take the trouble, and the material 
is handy, the plan in Fig. 35 is a most excellent one to follow. 
Wall up the sides of the trench with brick, add a little 
chimney at one end, and get several iron "S" hooks from 
which to suspend your kettles. This will save the lifting of 

322 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



the crane every time you wish to handle the kettles suspend- 
ed over the fire. By this method you will economize on fuel 
and save heat. 

The plan used in the army for camp-cooking and described 
below is the best for all-around work. To make this 
kitchen takes more time and a little more labor, but in the 
end the laborers will be well paid for their work. It is par- 
ticularly adapted for clayey soil. Dig a hole about three 
feet square and two feet in depth, generally in the slope of a 
hill. On one side run a shaft laterally, about one foot square 
and six feet in length, and one foot from the surface of the 
ground. At the extreme end sink a shaft vertically and 
form a chimney, and at equidistances pierce holes of suffi- 
cient diameter to prevent the kettles from slipping through. 
By this mode the kettles can be placed over the fire to boil, 
or on the side to simmer, with less difficulty than by any 
other means. Fig. 36 A and B. 

I want to tell the young camper how to bake his own 
bread in camp, so if he camps far from a store or house 
where he can buy his bread he will not have to eat crackers, 
or those indigestion-producers, flapjacks, that the youthful 
camper knows how to make, or thinks he does. I have 
eaten many a one in my young days before putting on the 
"army blue," but their weight in gold would not induce me 
to eat some that I swallowed as a boy and thought "fine." 
We will assume that before going into camp your dear 
mother has taught you how to mix a batch of dough or a 
pan of biscuit. We will now make an oven in which to bake 
the bread or biscuit. A bank from four to six feet is the best 
for the purpose. Dig down the bank to a vertical face, and at 
22 323 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

the base excavate a hole, say three to four feet horizontally, 
care being taken to keep the entrance as small as possible. 
Hollow out the sides of the excavation and arch the roof. 




>3 





Fig. 37 



till the floor of the oven is about two feet wide and the arch 
about sixteen inches at the centre. Fig. 37 A and B. 

Now carefully **tap" the back end for the chimney, and 
insert a piece of stove-pipe if handy, A hole from four to 
six inches will give a good draught. Wet the inside of the 

324 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



oven, and smooth over the walls so that the mud presents a 
hard finish, and leave to dry for a day. When you are ready 
to bake, build a good fire in the oven, and when it is well 
heated remove the fire, scrape out all ashes, and place the 
pans of dough inside. Close up the entrance with a board, 
and cover with rhud so as to keep in all the heat. With 
proper care this oven will last several weeks. 

A bank may not be handy in which to build an oven of the 
kind described above; if such proves the case, it is not a 
difficult matter to construct a good oven on the level ground 
by following the method below. If a flour-barrel is handy, 
use it; if not, make use of willow twigs stuck in the ground 
and bent over so as to form a mould. Over the barrel or 
willow mould plaster a stiff mortar made of mud, commenc- 
ing at the base. Lay it on about six inches thick. Allow 
it to dry for a day or two, and when nearly dry cut out a 
door at one end and the flue at the other. A small mud 
chimney will increase the draught if a piece of stove-pipe is 
not at hand. If a barrel has been used as the mould it may 
be burned out without danger to the oven. Carefully 
remove all dirt, and keep up a fire for half a day before 
attempting to bake. Fig. 34. (See page 321.) 

Camp-cooking 

Even the finest of camps is a dreary place unless the com- 
missary department is well organized. *' Uncle Harry," who 
is an old and experienced camper-out, gives some useful sug- 
gestions to his nephews, and other boys will doubtless appre- 
ciate his lectures on things culinary. 

325 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



"Let us suppose," begins Uncle Harry, "that you have 
gotten the camp into ship -shape order, and after your hard 
day's work are ravenously hungry and very impatient for 
supper, or rather dinner, for the last meal of the day in 
camp is always the most important one. We will appoint 
x\leck as cook, and while he is busy over the fire neither of 
the others shall interfere with him or his duties, for no axiom 
is more true than that 'too many cooks spoil the broth/ 

"Ben and Bob must see that the cook is well supplied 
with water and has plenty of small -split firewood close at 
hand. Then Bob will set the table, while Ben goes a-fishing 
and catches half a dozen trout or other small fry from the 
lake. In the mean time Aleck has pared and washed a dozen 
potatoes. These are placed in a kettle nearly full of water, 
and hung over the fire half an hour before supper- time. He 
will keep them boiling furiously until he can run a sliver of 
wood easily through the largest one. Then the water must 
be drained from them, and, still in the kettle, they must be 
set aside, but near enough to the fire to keep hot until 
wanted. 

"Ben's fish all weigh less than a pound, and so are too 
small to do anything with but fry. After they are cleaned, 
Aleck rolls them in corn-meal and lays them carefully in the 
frying-pan, which is already on the stove, and in which a 
small quantity of cotton-seed oil is sizzling merrily. If you 
should have no oil, pork fat will do nearly as well, only have 
it boiling hot before placing the fish in it. 

"Aleck has heard of half a dozen methods of making 
coffee, and hesitates before deciding which to try. He has 
been told to put his coffee in cold water and let it come to a 

326 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



boil, and that the coffee must not see the water until it is 
boiling; he has heard that coffee must never be boiled, and 
that the only way to extract its strength is to boil it ; and so 
in thinking it all over he is much perplexed. Finally he re- 
members a method which his old uncle who is in the army 
has mentioned to him, and decides to try it." 

''Oh, Uncle Harry, you are not a bit old," interrupts 
Aleck. 

"In preparing coffee by his old uncle's method," con- 
tinues Captain Archer, only noticing the interruption with 
a smile, "Aleck fills the coffee-pot with water, and sets it on 
the broiler wires, which he has laid across from one log to 
the other of the stove. While it is coming to a boil he meas- 
ures out his coffee at the rate of a heaping table-spoonful for 
each cup to be made, puts it into his tin cup, pours in all 
the hot water it will hold, and sets it in a warm place on the 
stove. As soon as the water in the coffee-pot boils, he pours 
off some, so as to leave the pot about three-quarters full, and 
empties in his cupful of soaked coffee. Setting the pot back, 
he allows its contents to again come to a boil, and then lifts 
it from the fire. He pours out a tin cupful of the coffee, and 
pours it slowly back into the pot, throwing away the residue 
of grounds that remain in the cup. For about a minute, or 
while the rest of the dinner is being served, the coffee-pot 
stands in a warm place near the fire, and then its contents 
are ready for drinking. 

'* If either of you had wanted tea, Aleck would have put in 
the pot a teaspoonful of tea leaves for each cup to be made, 
poured boiling water over it, let it stand in a warm place two 
or three minutes, and it would have been ready for you. 

327 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

" Here you have a plain, easily cooked dinner of fried fish, 
boiled potatoes, and coffee, to which you can add from your 
supplies bread and butter, or crackers, pickles, condensed 
milk, salt, pepper, and sugar. I think you will find it 
enough for a first experiment. 

''For breakfast next morning you will have coffee, fried 
potatoes and breakfast bacon, and griddle- cakes." 

" Oh, Uncle Harry, I can't make griddle-cakes," exclaimed 
Aleck. 

*'I think you can, if I tell you how, and you try hard. 
At any rate, you had better try, for they enter largely into 
the composition of camp meals. To make the simplest flour 
griddle-cakes, put into a pan a quart of your prepared flour, 
a teaspoonfut of salt, a handful of corn-meal, a table-spoon- 
ful of brown sugar, two eggs, if you have them, and mix 
with cold water into a batter. Stir thoroughly until no 
lumps are left, and then fry on a hot griddle. In frying use 
as little grease as possible. More griddle-cakes are spoiled 
by the use of too much grease in frying than in any other 
way. A bit of pork rind or an oiled rag rubbed over the 
griddle is sufficient. Take turns in frying the cakes, so that 
two of you can be eating them as fast as they are done. 
They are only fit to eat when hot from the griddle. 

" The cold boiled potatoes left from dinner the night before 
may be cut up and fried with half a dozen slices of breakfast 
bacon, and when all is ready you will have a breakfast to 
which I think three hungry boys will do ample justice. 

"When you become tired of fish, catch frogs. They are 
considered delicacies on first-class tables, and add a pleasant 
variety to a woodman's fare. Catch them with a light rod, 

328 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



short line, and small hook baited with a bit of scarlet flannel, 
or at night by use of a jack-light. Stupefied by its glare, 
they will let you pick them up. Kill your frog by a tap on 
the head, cut off his thighs and hind-legs, skin them, roll 
them in Indian-meal, and fry brown in hot oil or pork fat. 

''You will also probably have an opportunity of adding 
squirrels to your bill of fare. When you have got your 
squirrel, chop off his head, feet, and tail, cut the skin cross- 
wise of the back, and strip it off in two parts, fore and aft ; 
also cut the body crosswise into two parts. Throw them 
into a kettle, and let the hind-quarters parboil until tender. 
Then fry them, until of a rich brown, in oil or pork fat, hiss- 
ing hot. Use the fore-quarters for a stew. 

"To make a stew use almost any kind of flesh or fowl. 
The chief thing to be remembered in making a stew is to 
'Stew it enough. An old camp jingle runs thus: 

** * A stew that's too little stewed 
Is understood to be no good.' 

"Let your meat boil for more than an hour, or until it 
begins to fall from the bones. Add potatoes, pared and 
quartered, an onion sliced, salt, pepper, and a thickening 
made of flour and melted butter, to be stirred in gradually. 

'' In making a meat soup provide plenty of meat, and do 
not be afraid to let it boil. It is hard to boil it too much, 
and three hours is not too long. When nearly done, scrape 
a potato into the soup for thickening, and season with salt 
and pepper. 

"To cook rice, let a cupful soak overnight. In the morn- 
ing pour off the water in which it has soaked, place it in a 

329 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

kettle of cold water, and boil it slowly, without stirring, 
until the kernels are soft. Remember to salt it. Rice is 
good with condensed milk, sugar, butter, or syrup. It is 
good to add to your soups and stews, and it is particularly 
good when added to the batter from which you make your 
griddle-cakes. 

"To make mush stir corn-meal into boiling water; season 
with salt. Eat hot with syrup. Save what is left over, and 
fry it next morning. The same rule applies to hominy. 

** These are the rudiments of camp-cookery. Not an ex- 
tended bill of fare, but I think you will find it appetizing 
and nourishing." 

And the boys agreed with him. 

The Care of a Gtin 

Aside from the pride and satisfaction which every sports- 
man should take in keeping his favorite weapon bright and 
free from spots, inside and out, it pays to keep a gun clean. 
The residue left in the barrel after firing contains acids, 
which will soon eat "pits" or spots in the metal, and when 
once started, it is almost impossible to prevent them in- 
creasing in size and number. When badly pitted, the recoil 
is increased by the roughness in the barrel. A gun can be 
cleaned by the following directions : The cleaning - rod 
should have at least three tools — a wool swab, a wire 
scratch-brush, and a wiper to run rags through. Have 
plenty of water at hand — warm if you have it, if not cold 
will do nicely. Put a swab on the rod, and some water in 
a tin basin or wooden pail. By placing one end of the 

330 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



barrel in the water, you can pump it up and down the barrel 
with the swab. When it is discolored take fresh water, 
squeeze out the swab in it, and repeat the operation, until 
the water comes from the barrel as clean as it went in. If 
the gun has stood overnight, or longer, since using, it is best 
to put on the scratch-brush after the first swabbing, and a 
few passes with this will remove any hardened powder or 
leading. The next step is to fill the wiper with woollen or 
cotton rags, and dry the barrel thoroughly. When one set 
becomes wet take another, until they come from the barrel 
perfectly dry. Then stand the barrel on end on a heated 
stove, changing it from end to end, taking care that it does 
not become overheated. By the time it is well warmed up, 
the hot air from the stove will have dried out every particle 
of moisture left in the barrel. If no stove is at hand, the 
last set of drying rags used must be plied vigorously up and 
down the barrel until it becomes quite warm from the fric- 
tion. Drying is the most important part of cleaning, and if 
the least particle of moisture is left in the barrel it will be a 
rust spot the next time the gun is taken from its case. The 
gun may now be oiled, inside and out, with sewing-machine 
oil or gun-grease, which can be had in any gun store. The 
woollen rags used for greasing soak up a great deal of oil, and 
should be dropped into the gun-cover for future use. 

In regard to the safe handling of guns, almost all rules 
centre in that of always carrying the gun in such a way that 
if it should be accidentally discharged it would do no harm. 
If this rule is borne in mind, and strictly obeyed in the be- 
ginning, it becomes a habit and is followed intuitively. The 
gun may be carried safely on either shoulder, or in the hollow 

331 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

of either arm, with a sharp upward slant. When momen- 
tarily expecting a bird to rise, and obliged to have the gun 
cocked, it should be carried across the breast with a sharp 
upward slope to the left. This is the only way the gun 
should be carried cocked. A breech-loader is so easily un- 
loaded that there is no excuse for getting into a wagon or 
boat, or going around a house, without unloading. Never 
hand a loaded gun to any one who asks to look at it. ' When- 
ever you pick up any kind of a gun to examine it, always 
open it to see if it is loaded, and the habit will grow so that 
you will do this almost without knowing it. It seems need- 
less to say never pull a gun towards you by the muzzle 
through a fence or out of a boat or wagon, yet the violation 
of this rule is the cause of more accidents than anything else. 
Never climb a fence with your gun cocked. 

In learning the art of shooting on the wing — and this is 
the only way in which a shot-gun should be used — the fol- 
lowing suggestions may be of some help, but no amount of 
printed directions can teach you to shoot. Practice is the 
best teacher. Nine out of ten young sportsmen shoot too 
quickly. A game bird rises with a startling whir of the 
wing (and sometimes when least expected), which gives the 
idea that he is making much greater speed than he really 
is. Beginners are apt to becorhe excited, and throw up the 
gun anywhere in that direction, and blaze away with no 
definite aim. For this reason it is best to begin with black- 
birds, rice-birds, and rails. 

In almost every shot it is necessary to hold ahead of the 
bird, to allow for the time it takes to explode the cartridge 
and throw the shot to the bird. Even in this short space 

332 



CAMPS AND CAMPING 



of time a cross-flying bird would be safely out of the shot 
circle if you aimed right at him. If a bird flies straight 
away from you, neither rising nor dropping, you should aim 
right at it. ' If flying straight across, you should hold well 
ahead of it. If quartering, still hold ahead, but less. 

Many will ask how far to hold ahead, and this is a diflicult 
question to answer accurately, as we have no means of 
knowing just how far ahead we do hold. One might say 
six feet and another six inches. What might appear to be 
an inch at the muzzle of the gun might really be a foot in 
front of a bird forty yards away. It must be learned by 
experience, and when accustomed to it the aim will be taken 
almost instantly, governed by the direction of flight, the 
speed of the bird, and the distance from the shooter. 

It is best to ask permission of the owner to shoot over his 
land. You will seldom be refused, and will frequently be 
given permission to shoot over land which is posted *'No 
Shooting." The land-owners know that it is the lawless 
hoodlums who do them damage. 

Every true sportsman strictly obeys the game laws, and 
it is to his advantage to do so, although in many States the 
laws are practically a dead letter. Shooting out of season 
has nearly killed the game in many localities, when it would 
still be abundant if the game laws had been observed. 



Chapter XIX 

TRAPS AND TRAPPING 

Snares and Deadfalls 

THE ways of trapping are as various as the ingenuity of 
savage or civilized man can devise. I like best the 
traps that one can make. They seem to give the animal a 
fairer show; they develop our own constructive faculties; 
and the nearer we can get to the savage way the more fun 
it always is. Steel traps have a place that wooden traps 
can never fill ; but give me something that I can make with 
my own hands, with the simplest tools, out of whatever 
materials the spot affords where the animal lives. 

Of all the animals in this country there is none that 
affords less harmful sport than the rabbit — more properly 
hare — of which there are several species. Its wonderful 
powers of increase enable it to hold its own, as far too many 
of our best and most valuable animals do not. Further- 
more, rabbits are very easily trapped. 

Every one knows its little trail, as broad as one's hand, 
through the bushes or broom-hedge, or its footprints as it 
hops over the clear snow. Here, where the path goes under 
a fence-rail, it has stopped to gnaw. The rabbit follows this 
path in season and out, though in the far North, where the 

334 



TRAPS AND TRAPPING 



snows keep piling and piling up, its little road may change 
with each successive snowfall. Trappers there put out a 
large number of snares, setting them right in the middle of 
these paths. In Fig. i, No. 20 soft brass or copper wire is 
used — a piece say twenty inches long being bent into an 
oval or round noose some four inches through, the end being 
twisted around a convenient limb or root, or stick thrust 
into the snow over the path, and the space on each side 
bushed in with evergreen twigs, so that the rabbit will be 
sure to pass through the noose. Snares are easily taken up 
and set somewhere else after each snowfall. The best way 
is to rig the noose to a spring-pole (Fig. 2). The spring-pole 
that I have seen the Indian trappers make is simply a pole 
lashed to the side of a convenient sapling, the heavy end 
being high in the air, while the short end is caught under a 
stake with a crotch or little limb sticking out, driven into 
the ground at the side of the path. A "twitch-up" is a 
sapling bent down, but this generally needs to be held down 
in another way. On each side of the path a stake is firmly 
driven into the ground. About seven inches from the ground, 
and on the sides which face, a deep notch is cut into each 
stake, and a stick flattened at each end is placed across, like 
the letter H. The sapling is bent down, a strong cord 
fastened to the end, and tied around the middle of the cross- 
piece. The noose dangles below, clearing the ground by 
two inches (Fig. 3). If the pole is strong enough it lifts the 
game into the air out of reach of predatory animals. All 
stakes bearing strain of pulling must be firmly driven into 
the ground, or in wet weather they will pull out. 

Rabbits, as gardeners know, are fond of carrots and other 

335 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



vegetables, as well as apples. There are many ways of rig- 
ging a snare with bait. The trap is arranged so the rabbit 
puts its head through a noose, and springs the trap as it 
touches the bait. One of the best traps I know of this kind 




Fig. 3 



Fig- 2 



Z2>(^ 



TRAPS AND TRAPPING 



is called, in northern Vermont, a "French twitch-up" (Fig. 4). 
This trap can be made at home, and carried and set wherever 
needed. It is made as follows : Take a board about twenty 
inches long and ten inches wide. Measure off eight inches 
from one end, and with a pair of dividers describe a circle 
five inches in diameter. Around this circle bore holes 
three-eighths of an inch in diameter an inch apart, through 
the board, and drive in pegs five inches high. Five inches 
from the other end bore a larger hole, and set up a square 
peg (or a round one with flat side) seven inches high. Pro- 
cure a half -inch stick long enough to reach from the centre 
of the circle of pegs to the upright and three inches beyond 
it. Screw this stick fast to the upright at a point two inches 
from the board — loosely, so it will work up and down, sharp- 
ening the end inside the pen, and cutting a notch on the 
upper side at the other end as shown in Fig. 4. Cut an- 
other notch near the top of the upright post, and fit into 
the two notches a half -inch stick with chisel -shaped ends. 
This arrangement resembles very closely the figure 4. A 
strong cord from the middle of this short stick leads to the 
spring-pole at a point about a foot from the end. 

A noose of fine, soft wire or plaited horse-hair is fastened 
to the end of the spring-pole, and laid evenly around on the 
tops of the circle of pegs, which must be of an equal height. 
An apple or a carrot is speared upon the sharp end of the 
bait-stick. The rabbit smells the bait, puts its head over 
the fence and through the noose to take a nibble. When it 
touches the bait-stick, up goes the noose, and it is caught. 
But the snare on top of the little fence is likely to fall or be 
rubbed off, so a deep, sharp notch must be made into the top 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

of every peg into which the noose fits. This is undoubtedly 
a Yankee improvement on a very old device. Formerly 
there was no pen and the noose was laid on the ground. 

One of the very best traps for rabbits is a kind used in the 
South (Fig. 5). How often on a frosty morning would one's 
heart thump as one came into view and looked to see if the 
trigger was up and the door was down! 

It is made of rough boards twenty to twenty-four inches 
long, one being an inch shorter, and all at least six inches 
wide, nailed into a long box. The rear being closed up with 
a board, and the top being an inch shorter, there is room for 
a door which slides up and down. Two thin strips are nailed 
upright to the front of the side-pieces, to keep the door from 
falling outward; small cleats inside complete a channel, in 
which the door slides easily up and down. Then with an 
auger or bit two holes are bored into the top five-eighths to 
one inch in diameter, one hole being nine inches from the 
front, the other nine inches to the rear of the first. Into the 
one next the door a stake is set up about ten inches high, 
with a crotch at the top. Then a stick eight inches long and 
as thick as a lead-pencil is cut ; five inches from one end a 
cut is made half-way through, and a deep notch taken out 
the short end. This is dropped, notch upward, into the other 
hole. A stiff stick eighteen inches long is then cut, a string 
tied to each end, and then balanced in the crotch. The door 
is raised five inches, and one string tied to a nail in the top. 
The other string is tied to the upper end of the trigger, the 
notch of which is caught on the under side of the top board. 
The trap thus set is placed at right angles to the path, not 
directly in it. Foolish Bunny comes along. A good hole is 

338 



TRAPS AND TRAPPING 



something a rabbit is ever on the lookout for. Here is a new 
one; he will look into it and see what it is like. It is not 
necessary to put even a carrot or an apple inside. He crowds 
in, butts his head against the trigger at the end, up it goes, 




Fig. 5 




down drops the door behind, and he is fast. The trigger 
must be set under the front edge of the hole, otherwise the 
rabbit will not be able to push it from him. 

Instead of a box, a section of a hollow log, called in the 
South a "gum," may be used, two stakes being driven in 
front to hold the door. Fig. 6. 

The muskrat is an abundant animal about ponds, ditches, 
and the banks of sluggish streams. It is easily trapped. 
They remind one of little beavers, and if their fur was not 
»3 339 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

so very common it would be more highly prized, for it is 
really soft and fine. If one can find their runway (a path 
eight or nine inches wide along which they travel from place 
to place) one can always capture them by the same kind of 
trap that an Indian sets for beaver and otter, as well as for 
musquash. He calls it the '' kilheg'n." Fig. 7. 

Drive two stakes two feet or more high and at least an 
inch thick into the ground three inches apart at one side of 
the path. Opposite these two sticks drive in two more, 
and lay a stick across between them, pushing it down nearly 
level with the path for a bed-piece. Then get a pole of any 
length whatever, lay the butt end across the path on top 
of the bed, hewing the sides fiat, if necessary. vSee that it 
rests evenly on the bed, and keep the other end in place 
with a stake driven on each side. I'his pole is called the 
"fall." 

Lash each pair of stakes together at their tops v/ith rope 
or tough bark or withe, to prevent spreading, and lay a stiff 
stick across. Cut a half -inch straight stick and lay it on 
top of the bed, lashing one end loosely to the stake, leaving the 
other end free to rise and fall. This is the trigger. Now for 
the ''crooked stick." It is a st'ck as long as from the bed 
to the cross-piece, and has a sudden bend at the upper end. 
Often one can find a small sapling an inch through with just 
the right bend at the end. Notch it as shown in Fig. 8. 
Tie a stout cord or withe around the fall, raise the same nine 
or ten inches, lay the crooked stick over the cross-piece, and 
tie the withe fast. Then bend the other end of the crooked 
stick towards the ground, and catch the top of it behind the 
trigger, which is raised just enough (two inches) for the 

340 




SOME USEFUL TRAPS 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

purpose. When the rat comes along it steps on the trigger, 
freeing the crooked stick, whereupon the fall drops and pins 
the creature there. Heavy weights should be piled upon 
the fall alongside the path, and the sides should be brushed 
in to keep the animal from going around. No bait is re- 
quired for this trap. 

Alongside of their pond on a level spot contrive another 
trap (Fig. 9) in the following manner : 

Take a flat stick, about two inches wide, lay it on the 
ground, and close to one end drive an upright stake on each 
side. Let them stand some six inches high. Then, begin- 
ning close to the two stakes, lay a two-foot stick at right 
angles, its end resting on the first one. Alongside of this 
lay another stick a little shorter, continuing thus, and mak- 
ing each successive stick shorter, until the end of the sticks 
is reached, thus forming a three-cornered platform, which is 
then weighted with heavy stones. Construct a figure 4 
(Fig. 9 A) out of sticks as thick as one's finger, making the 
bait-stick eighteen or twenty inches long. Set the figure 4 
under the platform at the very end of the stick, the bait- 
stick passing between the upright stakes. Bait with a car- 
rot, a parsnip, apple, etc., and a rat should be there in the 
morning. 

If the trap does not lie flat on the ground place sticks under' 
it. This same trap, baited with a fowl's head or a bird or 
meat, is also useful as a skunk-trap, being placed in the 
woods near their burrows. 

The mink is another common animal, and it is found by 
almost every brook-side. It is a great traveller, following 
the stream, feeding upon fish, and picking up a bird or mouse 

342 



TRAPS AND TRAPPING 



whenever opportunity affords. For a trap I take two round 
poles six to eight feet long, and about three inches thick at 
the butt. On a level spot, never more than a few feet away 
from the water, I drive a stake firmly into the ground, and 
lay the two poles, butts together, one on top of the other, 
against the stake, and drive two more stakes on the other 
side about six inches apart. Sometimes when the ground 
is soft two stakes (Fig. lo) should be driven in front in- 
stead of one. A stick a foot long will serve equally well 
for the bed-piece. Then a pen or house is built of stakes, or 
long chips, or stones, or pieces of board in the form of a V 
or [~], about nine inches tall, eight inches deep, and six 
inches wide. Then two sticks are prepared — one three inches 
long and half an inch thick, called the "standard" (Fig. 
12), the other eight inches long, and of the same thickness, 
called the bait-stick, one end being sharpened, the other 
flattened. The bait, the head of a fowl or fish, is tied to 
the sharp point of the bait-stick. The fall is raised, 
the standard set sideways on the flat end on the bait- 
stick, and the fall lowered, until it rests on top of the 
standard, the bait-stick being inside the house. As the 
sticks are arranged, the mink, entering over the bed 
and under the fall, will have to give quite a pull before 
dislodging the standard on which the fall rests. So take 
a peg, cut a notch into it near the top deep enough to 
secure the bait-stick, and drive it into the ground inside the 
pen and close to one side. Now the standard can be set 
much nearer the outer end of the bait-stick, and the moment 
the bait is tugged at, the bait-stick flies from under the 
notched peg, and down comes the fall. The bed may be 

343 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

hewn to an edge on top, and the parts of the trap should 
work without a hitch. A stone, or board, or sheet of bark, 
or a handful of evergreen boughs should be laid over the 
house, not only to keep the animal out, but also the rain and 
snow from the triggers which may freeze up and stick fast. 
Two pegs driven into the ground at the end of the fall will 
hold it in place, and, like every deadfall, it should be heavily 
weighted with logs as shown in Figs. lo and ii. 

There are many different ways of building traps with this 
simple bait-stick and standard — a combination in general 
use in the fur countries. Some are made large for fishers, 
and set on logs and high stumps for sable or marten. In 
Canada, where the snow is very deep, I have seen long lines 
of sable-traps on stumps seven feet from the ground, the 
other end of the fall resting on another stump of the same 
height. In such cases a tree is cut for the purpose, and by 
a skilful way of chopping, the stake in front of the trap is 
left standing as part of the stump, and the chips are sharp- 
ened and driven into the top of. the stump for the house. 

Again, a hollow is chopped into a tree, a stake driven in 
front, and the bait-stick thrust inside. 

There are many other deadfalls in use. Among the most 
deadly is what may be called the "wigwam." It is thus 
constructed : With a hatchet or an axe break some small 
sticks, and driving them into the ground in the shape of a 
crescent build the bait-pen or house. Bring them together 
at the top as in Fig. 13. Next cut a green stick about four 
inches in diameter and about eight feet long. Lay in front 
of the pen, directly up against it. Peg it firmly there by 
driving wooden pins against it at the ends. So much done. 

344 




Fig. 16 



DEADFALLS 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Now get another stick of the same length and lay it on top 
of the first pole. Fix it in position by driving pins against 
it as in Fig. 14. When this is finished take two small, round 
sticks or twigs, cut one about five inches in length, and the 
other near ten inches, or the depth of the bait-pen. Raise 
the top log and lay the longer of the little round twigs on it, 
with the end on which the bait is to be placed on the inside. 
The ends of the little twig must be round. Set it on end, 
with the upper end resting on the upper log and the lower 
end resting on the first little stick as in Fig. 15. 

When an animal comes to get the bait he has to put his 
fore-legs into the pen, and the minute he touches the bait 
the upper log falls, catching him in the centre of the back. 
Skunks can be easily caught this way without the least 
smell. Spikes may be driven through the upper log for 
large game. Fig. 16 is a variation of the same idea. 

Woodchucks or ground-hogs will be attracted to a trap 
by baiting with their favorite food; but they soon go into 
winter quarters, from which they do not emerge until spring. 
There are special traps for other animals and birds. Good 
judgment, knowledge of the appearance and the food and 
habits of the bird or animal are necessary to success in trap- 
ping, as well as an eye quick to recognize the signs of the 
game, particularly their runways. 

Traps in cold countries need not be visited oftener than 
once a week, but if they are near home most boys like to go 
to them every day. Skinning can best be done at home. 
The curing of skins is a matter of great importance if the fur 
is to be sold, for dealers will only pay for good fur properly 
prepared. It must be '* prime " — that is, from November to 

346 



TRAPS AND TRAPPINGS 



the middle of April (water fur a fortnight later) the inside of 
the skin will be white and the fur thick and glossy ; at other 
times it becomes dark and thin and the fur poor. Muskrats, 




Fig. 17 

mink, sable, foxes, weasel, opossum, and skunk require to 
be cased — that is, without any cut down the middle. Wolf, 
badger, raccoon, bear, beaver must be open. The manner 

347 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

of preparing cased fur is to make a cut around the ankles, 
then a sHt down the back of the leg to the tail, the skin to 
be peeled off the legs and the root of the tail to be put into 
the end of a split stick and the core pulled right out. Then 
the skin is pulled off over the head. In the case of 
certain animals, like the mink and muskrat, there is a scent- 
bag near the tail which is liable to get cut, with unpleasant 
consequences, so the best trappers prefer to remove the hide 
by commencing at the lips and peeling it off through the 
opening of the mouth, making no other cut in the skin save 
at the legs, when the skin is opened by a cut from leg to tail 
as at the start. The muskrat may be stretched on a pliant 
stick three feet long, bent into a bow, and the skin, fur in- 
ward, pulled over it. The legs are slitted and caught over 
notches in the side, and one end of the stick is bent squarely 
across and fastened either into the split top of the other or 
into a notch, and the loose middles of the skin tied up to the 
cross-piece. Fig. 176. 

For mink, etc., never use a single board — it may tear the 
skin — but make a double stretcher (Fig. 17a). Take a half- 
inch board of pine or cedar, two feet long and three inches 
wide, and taper it to two inches at one end and shave the 
outside almost to an edge. The board is then split in half 
with a saw; where no saw is at hand the two pieces are 
whittled out separately. The stretchers are now put into 
the skin, and the legs pulled out as far as they will go and 
tacked in place, or a slit made in each and the leg hooked 
over a notch in the edge of the stretcher. Then a wedge 
two feet long, an inch wide, and tapering to a point is in- 
serted between the stretcher, and driven down until the skin 

348 



TRAPS AND TRAPPINGS 



is as tight as a drum-head. The middles are then tacked 
fast, and a square-pointed stick inserted into the tail. If 
the boards threaten to collapse, two short sticks with ends 
lashed together pushed over them will keep them flat. The 
tail-piece (Fig. i8) shows a mink-skin properly stretched. A 
fox-stretcher will be exactly twice the dimensions of the 
mink-stretcher; others in proportion. The raccoon, bear, 
etc., is skinned by a cut from chin to tail, cuts being made 
up the legs at right angles to the cut, and stretched upon a 
square frame (Fig. ij d) by means of a lacing of cord or 
tough bark. Formerly all open skins were stretched on the 
hoop-stretcher (Fig. 1 7 <:) , but now only the beaver is treated 
that way. 

Skins must never be dried in the sun nor by a hot fire. 
Nor should any preservatives whatever be applied, not even 
salt, until ready for tanning. All fat should be removed, 
taking care for knife-cuts. 




Fig. 18 



Chapter XX 

TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 

THE most delightful season in the woods, throughout 
the northern and middle parts of the United States, is 
during the summer months, and in the South right up to 
Christmas; while in other parts of the country, through 
southern Texas and California, the woods are attractive all 
through the year. 

Brush-houses, sylvan retreats, and tree huts of various 
kinds are made by boys all over the country, and some very 
unique and original ones are often constructed from simple 
and inexpensive materials. Everything from the back-yard 
"lean-to" and the tent of sheets to the tree huts that are 
inaccessible when the rope-ladder is drawn up may be made 
by boys who are at all handy with tools, and a well-built 
tree hut is an ideal place in which to spend one's vacation 
days. 

The following ideas and suggestions may be of service, 
and they have all been tested in practical experience. 

A Low Twin-tree Htit 

A very serviceable twin-tree hut is shown in Fig. i, and 
it can easily be constructed, at a small cost, from ordinary 

350 



TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 

boards and timbers. If it is built high up in the trees it 
is doubly secure from invasion, for the ladder can be drawn 
up when the owners are at home and it will be a difficult 
matter for outsiders to enter. 

To properly build this hut select a location between two 
trees six to eight feet apart. The trees should have com- 
paratively straight trunks at least fifteen inches in diameter, 
and no cavities at the base nor indications of decay. 

With an axe clear off the brush and small branches for 
twenty feet up from the ground at the inside of the trunks, 
or where the hut is to be located. From a lumber-yard 
obtain four or five pieces of spruce or other timber two 
inches thick, eight inches wide, and sixteen feet long. Saw 
off and nail two of these pieces to the trunks of the trees 
eight feet above the ground, first cutting away some of the 
bark and wood of the trunk to afford a flat surface for the 
timbers to lie against on each side. Six-inch steel-wire nails 
will be required for these anchorages, and under the timbers 
and lying flat against the tree-trunks bracket-blocks two- 
by-eight inches and flfteen inches long are securely spiked 
to lend additional support to the cross-timbers. 

Cut two timbers six feet long and two others the length 
of the distance between tree-trunks. In the six-foot pieces 
cut notches at the under side as shown in Fig. 2 C C. Into 
these the ends of bracket-timbers D D will flt. Cut the 
ends of the timbers forming the square frame so that they 
will dovetail as shown in Fig. 3. Spike the six-foot timbers 
to the tree-trunks so that they will rest on the first two 
timbers that were nailed to the trees, and from the two-by- 
eight - inch wood cut four brackets D D, and spike them 

351 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 




fast under each cross-timber so each tree will appear as 
shown in Fig. 2. Place the remaining two timbers in posi- 
tion so that the ends will fit into those fastened to the trees, 
and nail them fast as shown in Fig. 4. 

In Fig. 5 the first timbers can be seen spiked to the tree- 
trunks, where they are supported by the fifteen-inch blocks 
nailed fast below them. The cross-timbers are shown at 

352 



■ TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 

A A, and the last ones, forming the frame that are let into 
dove-tailed joints at the ends, are shown at B B. Cut two 
more timbers E E, and lay them across the supporting 
timbers, nailed to the tree, so they will fit inside the front 
and back timbers B B, where they are to be well secured 
with long nails. The floor frame will then be complete. 

From two-by-three-inch spruce construct a frame seven 
feet high at the front, six feet at the back, and spike the 
side timbers F F, forming the top, to the inside of the tree- 
trunks as shown in Fig. 5. The bottom of the uprights are 
to be mounted on the corners of the floor frame as shown in 
Fig. 4, where four long nails will hold them securely in place. 

Cut two timbers and arrange them in an upright position 
at the front thirty inches apart, where the door will come, 
then half-way between the floor and top of the framework 
run a timber all around except between the door timbers. 
This will add a strengthening rib to which the sheathing 
boards can be nailed, and will also make one more anchorage 
to the tree-trunks. The side-rails should be spiked to the 
tree-trunks in a corresponding manner to that of the top or 
roof -strips. From a lumber-yard obtain some four, six, or 
ten inch matched boards, planed on both sides, and use 
them for the floor and sheathing. 

The roof may be made from the same kind of boards, and 
over them a thickness or two of tarred paper is to be laid 
and fastened down at the edges and seams with small metal 
washers and nails that can be had where the paper is pur- 
chased. This will make the roof water-tight, for a season 
at least; and if it is given one or two coats of paint it will 
preserve the paper so that it may last for several years. 

353 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

Two or three windows twenty-four inches square may 
be placed in the back and sides of the hut above the middle 
rib; and a door of boards held together with battens, as 
shown in the illustration, is to be made and hung with long, 
stout strap-hinges. A knob lock or a hasp and padlock will 
keep the door closed when the hut is unoccupied. When in 
use a wooden button will hold the door shut from the 
inside. 

A ladder of hickory poles and cross -sticks should be made 
twenty inches wide and provided with loops at the top that 
will fit over large nails driven in the door-sill, so as to keep 
it from slipping when it bends under the weight of a boy. 

Where the rungs join the side-rails of the ladder the union 
is made by lashing the cross-sticks fast with tarred rigging 
or stout cotton line. If a flexible ladder is preferred ropes 
may be used in place of the side -rails to which the rungs are 
lashed fast. When the owners are at home the ladder can 
be drawn up and hung on nails driven in the front edge of 
the roof. If a rope-ladder is used it can be drawn in and 
rolled up. 

Inside of the hut, at either end, a seat eighteen inches 
wide should be built in about sixteen inches up from the 
floor. These seats can be used as bunks if desired. Some 
narrow shelving should be arranged over the windows and 
fastened there with brackets, on which small things may be 
kept. 

A small table may be made from some ends of the sheath- 
ing boards and two-by-three-inch spruce sticks ; and boxes 
may be used for seats, or small benches can easily be knocked 
together as shown in Fig. 6 A. Under the table a ledge 

354 




A HIGH TWIN-TREE HUT 
355 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

twelve inches wide is to be attached to the lower cross-rails 
that connect the legs as shown at Fig. 6 B. 

A wall-nest may be made from a shoe-case in which four 
or five shelves are arranged as shown in Fig. 6 C. A door 
made from the box-cover is attached with hinges, and a 
catch or hasp will keep it closed. 

A High Twin-tree Httt 

Twelve or fifteen feet above the ground, and built in 
between the trunks of two stout trees, a high tree hut is 
shown in Fig. 7. Larger and more substantial trees must 
be selected to build this hut in than the ones for the 
low hut, and as a rope-ladder will probably be used a 
landing -deck or piazza should be built at the front of 
the hut. 

While this hut is built between two trees it is also built 
against them, as the trunk of each tree can be partially 
enclosed in the hut. The under cross-timbers that support 
the floor frame are to be attached to the trees the same as 
described for the low tree hut, and on these the other tim- 
bers are laid and fastened as shown in Fig. 8. The main 
timbers extend beyond the outside of the trunks, and the 
supporting and floor timbers enclose each trunk. At the 
front the frame is carried forward two feet more than at the 
back, allowing this much for the width of the deck. The 
uprights are arranged somewhat differently also, as they are 
bound at the top to scantlings that butt into the trunks. 
Fig. 8 A A. 

Instead of a flat roof like the low hut, this one is to have 

356 



TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 

a pitched roof, the supporting timbers of which are attached 
to the ridge-poles B B, which are fastened to the tree-trunks 
in the same manner as the under cross-timbers. This con- 
struction is clearly shown in Fig. 8, where the location of 
each upright and cross-piece is indicated. 

A rail is run along the front and one end of the deck, and 
is fastened at the top of four uprights of two-by-three-inch 
spruce, the lower ends of which are securely nailed to the 
front stringers as the illustration shows. 

In place of the supporting brackets D D that are let into 
the timber C at Fig. 2, longer brackets or props are caught 
under the floor timbers and braced at the lower end against 
the trunks, where an additional anchorage or support is 
made by a stout block which is securely spiked to the trunk 
underneath each bracket end as shown in Fig. 8 C C. The 
frame is then enclosed as described for the low hut, and 
windows and a door are mounted as shown. 

A long, stiff ladder may be used to climb up, but a more 
interesting ladder can be made of rope and hickory rungs. 
By means of a thin rope attached to the bottom rung the 
ladder can be hauled up to the deck so that it is out of the 
reach of other boys; and being fastened at the top, no 
one can remove it or pull it away as they could a stiff 
ladder. 

A rope-ladder is made of stout clothes-line and hickory 
rungs lashed together securely with strong line as shown in 
Fig. 9. The rungs are of straight hickory with or without 
the bark on, one inch and a quarter thick and twenty-four 
inches long. Near the end of each rung a notch is cut on 
both sides for the rope to lie in, as shown at the upper end 

357 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

of Fig. 9, and each union is to be very securely bound with 
the line so as to prevent slipping. 

The ladder is hung on stout wooden pegs driven into the 
deck through holes one inch and a half in diameter. An 
extra rope is to be carried from the top rung up over the 
pegs and down again, where a wrap is taken over one or two 




rungs ; then it is lashed fast to the other ropes with the stout 
line as shown in Fig. lo. 

Bunks and furniture can be made for the interior, and 
any other convenient accessories to the comfort and pleasure 
of the boy owners may be added as need arises. 

358 



TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 



A Single-tree Hat 

In the spreading branches of a large oak-tree a very snug 
roost can be made high above the ground as shown in Fig. 
II (frontispiece). 

This single-tree hut is twenty-five feet above the ground, 
and below it is a landing from which the rope-ladder is 
dropped. From this landing to the piazza or deck of the 
hut a stiff ladder is made fast both at top and bottom, and 
an opening in the floor of the deck will allow room to climb 
up on the deck. 

As very few trees are alike it would be difficult to give a 
plan for the floor timbers among the out-spreading branches ; 
but from the plans shown for. the twin-tree hut some idea 
of the construction can be had for single-tree huts. 

The main tree-trunk will, of course, have to project up 
through the hut, and the location in the tree should be 
selected so that out-spreading branches will form a support 
to the lower edges of the floor frame as may be seen in Fig. 
12, the plan of a low tree hut. 

A peaked, a mansard, or a flat roof can be placed on the 
hut, depending on the main trunk to give it support; and 
if the space in the tree will permit, a deck across the front 
and both sides will be found useful. The floor timbers 
should be well braced to the main trunk of the tree with 
long and short bracket-pieces or props. These will help 
greatly in making the hut steady in the tree, and where the 
lower ends are attached to the trunk large spikes should be 
well driven in. Cleats or blocks can be nailed fast under the 

359 



^ OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

ends also, as they will help to support and strengthen the 
anchorage. 

Water and food can be kept cool by suspending them in 
a shady place. Water in a porous jug or earthen pitcher 
will keep very cold if hung in the tree branches where the air 
can freely circulate around it. Keep fire away from the 
tree huts, and do not light any matches nor burn candles, 
for if once a fire is started nothing will save your hut. It 
is too high to reach with a bucket, and, located as it is, a 
perfect draught will fan a small flame into a raging fire in 
no time. 

A Low Single-tree Hut 

It is not always best to build a hut in high trees, nor 
is it possible to do so in every case, because there may not 
be any high, large trees at hand strong enough to support a 
hut. For younger boys a low tree hut is preferable, so 
that if a possible misstep should result in a fall it would be 
less harmful than from a high tree. An apple or maple tree 
often affords a good support for a low tree hut, and if the 
trunk is substantially heavy a house similar to the one 
shown in Fig. 12 (page 358) can easily be constructed. The 
tree should be large enough to bear the weight of the house 
without straining it, particularly in a storm or high wind. 

The general construction of the frame is shown in Fig. 12. 
The frame should be of two-by-three-inch spruce and the 
flooring beams can be of two-by-four-inch spruce or other 
timber. One or two windows and a door may be arranged 
in the hut, and tar-paper tacked on the roof will make it 
water-proof. 

360 



TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 

Access to the hut can be had by means of a ladder made 
from two-by-three-inch spruce rails with hickory rungs, or 
two-by-one-inch hard-wood sticks securely nailed to the 
rails. 

A Brtish-house 

In nearly every part of the country where there is low 
ground one may generally find a high growth of plant life 
having a long stalk, with the greatest number of leaves at 
or near the top. Artichokes, cat -tail reeds, wild sunflower, 
and the stronger species of flag have stalks and reeds suffi- 
ciently strong from which to make the sides and roof of a 
hut or small house such as Fig. 13 depicts. 

This growth is often ten feet high, and will have a straight 
and uniform reed at least seven or eight feet up from the 
ground before the thick top foliage reduces it in size. This 
last should be cut away and the smaller under branches and 
leaves trimmed off, leaving a comparatively straight shaft 
from six to eight feet long. This will be limber enough to 
be woven basket-fashion, and quite stiff enough to hold the 
thatching of meadow-grass or cat -tail reeds. 

To build a brush-house like the one shown in the illustra- 
tion, four sticks are to be set in the ground about six feet 
apart, forming a square. These should be eight feet long 
and sunk two feet into the ground, the upper ends being 
bound together with rails two inches wide and an inch 
thick. 

A pitch can be given to the roof by cutting off the rear 
posts six inches and leaving six inches more of the front 
posts out of the ground, thereby allowing a pitch of one foot 

361 




A BRUSH-HOUSE 



TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 

to the six-foot length of roof . This slant is not necessary, 
however, and the roof may be flat if it is easier to make. 

From the reeds a basket framework with eight -inch 
meshes is to be woven, as the boys are doing in Fig. 14. 
Three of these frames are to be made for the sides and rear 
of the hut, and at the front, above the doorway, a smaller 
one is to be made to cover the space between the front posts. 




Fig. 15 



Fig. 16 



Fig, 17 



The ends of the cross-reeds are to be bent around the end 
upright reeds as shown in Fig. 1 5 , where they can be bound 
with string or tied with grass. The window openings in the 
side frames are made by cutting out a section of one or two 
uprights and turning the cross-reeds back and tying them. 
At the doorway two upright sticks are driven into the ground 
and a rail nailed across their upper ends. 

To this wooden frame the front reeds may be attached, 
and the skeleton hut or house is then ready to be thatched 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

with long, dry grass or dried cat-tail reeds. The thatching 
is done by interweaving long grasses or reeds between the 
cross-reeds in a vertical position as shown in Fig. i6. The 
thatching material should be from eighteen to twenty -four 
inches long so that it can be interwoven between three cross- 
reeds as shown in Fig. 17, where a few strands of grasses are 
placed in position to give an idea of how to weave the grass. 
Timothy or straw can be used to good advantage for 
thatching material, and if it is employed it should be woven 
with the heads up and not too close together, as the air 
should get through the thatching to keep the occupants of 
the hut cool. Of course a house may be made larger or 
smaller than the one described, but the principle of good 
construction is the same. Never depend on the four sides 
to hold together without the corner-posts, as the first good 




364 



TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 

wind that happened along would blow it fiat, and perhaps 
beyond the possibility of repair. 

The edges of each side are lashed fast to the corner-posts 
with grass or string, and when the roof is made it should be 
lashed fast to the top of the sides and front with long reeds 
or grass. 

The roof is woven the same as the sides but is thatched 
closer; and about four inches of the roof should extend 
over the sides, front, and rear. 



A Brush '* Lean-to'' 

The general lines of a miniature barn are shown in the 
illustration of a brush "lean-to" (Fig. i8). This is con- 



"H 




fig. 19 



structed in nearly the same manner as the brush-house, and 
thatched with grass or reeds as shown in Figs. i6 and 17. 

365 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



The corner-posts are three feet high, the ridge-pole seven 
feet and six inches above the ground, and the hut may be 
from five to eight feet square or made oblong, as a matter 
of choice, 

A frame of scantling should be made for this lean-to the 
same as if a wooden structure were to be built, and it must 
be nailed together well to stand the strain of the wind blow- 
ing hard against it. In general construction the frame 
should appear like Fig. 19; and to the sticks the edges of 
the thatched framework of reeds is to be lashed fast with 
grass, either before or after the thatching is done. 

A brush-house or any hut built on or near the ground is 
not so cool to stay in as one in the trees, but it is, of course, 
much easier to construct, as the boy builders do not have to 
move about so carefully when at work, and their materials 
can be picked up quickly. 

Brush huts and houses can be built on the plains' where 
trees are scarce, but in a country rich in woods and forests 
the boys prefer the tree huts, not only for their cool location, 
but on account of the romance involved in the climbing up 
to an inaccessible eyrie. 



i 



Chapter XXI 

WALKING-STICKS 
How to Grow Them for Plcaswc and Profit 

HERE are some suggestions for an entirely new and fas- 
cinating out-of-doors occupation. 

It has become a habit with me when walking in the woods 
to keep a sharp lookout for stocks for walking-sticks, so that 
in the course of many years I have got together quite a 
unique collection. To these a number have been added 
through exchanges with friends. 

This hobby has borne other fruit than the mere gathering 
together of curious sticks. For have I not learned the 
scientific and common names of most of our trees and 
shrubs, their habits, and their values, their uses in the arts 
and sciences, their medicinal qualities! So you see, my 
young reader, what unthinking people would call a useless 
and eccentric occupation (this gathering of old sticks) has 
in reality proved to be an innocent and instructive pastime, 
and I propose to continue to ride this walking-stick hobby 
just as diligently as I used to ride grandpa's walking-cane 
to '' Banbury Cross " when a child. 

My first interesting cane capture consisted of a very curi- 
ously shaped natural stick as shown in Fig. i. It was of a 
young hickory sapling at whose roots grew a bitter-sweet 

367 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



vine, which, being of an ambitious turn of mind, had tg^ken 
many turns around the sapling in its eagerness to climb up 
in the world. The sapling in the mean time extended its 
bark well over the leader of the tough and clinging bitter- 
sweet till but little of it was to be seen. At last the sapling, 
feeling unusually vigorous, burst asunder the clinging bitter- 
sweet vine, the result being a very unique walking-stick, 
and a good illustration of the ''survival of the fittest." 

The dead bitter-sweet vine was withdrawn from the 
hickory, and from its root a handle was carved and bent. 
On many occasions I have twisted vines of bitter-sweet and 
the fox-grape around saplings of oak, hickory, and chestnut, 
and have obtained very satisfactory results. 

Where a vine is situated some distance from the sapling 
selected for a cane, the vine can be "piped" (laid under the 
ground) up to the sapling, and then twisted around it and 
securely fastened at the top with wire, from three to four 
feet above its root. If the sapling is so situated that it 
obtains a bountiful supply of food and sunlight, a unique 
cane of natural growth will be the result. 

Having taken a hint from nature in the case of the bitter- 
sweet vine and the hickory sapling, I extended my experi- 
ments in many directions. Taking three cuttings (slips) of 
basket-willow, I planted them close together as shown in 
Fig. 2. After they had taken root and begun to push out 
branches, I reduced the number of branches to one for each 
cutting, always retaining the most vigorous branch. 

As the three willow -trees increased in height the side 
branches were constantly cut off. This treatment forced 
the growth of the willows upward, so that when they had 

368 



WALKING-STICKS 



attained a height of five feet I bound them together with a 
Hving cat -brier vine, which was planted at their base, and 
in course of time obtained a light walking-stick of novel 
pattern as shown in Fig. 3. Another very interesting ex- 
periment was grafting three willow stocks together so that 
they formed a union, and became as it were one tree. This 
was done by carefully cutting away two slices from three 
young willows so as to form an obtuse angle as shown in 
Fig. 4. 

The angles so formed were carefully and accurately fitted 
together as shown in the section Fig. 5. To hold the wil- 
lows closely together, and to exclude all air, I wrapped them 
tightly with strips of unbleached cotton-sheeting. As soon 
as they showed signs of life at their tops by sending out 
young branches, I felt certain that a union of their barks 
would form at the points indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5 . 
But it was not till several trials had been made that I was 
successful in this novel experiment of combining three 
willow saplings. 

It very often occurs that after a tree has been cut down 
a number of canes or suckers will start up from the stump. 
These suckers make excellent walking-sticks when properly 
cured and peeled. For a lady's riding-whip I know of noth- 
ing better than three willow withes plaited together. This 
plaiting must be done when the willow withes are young, 
and when attached to the parent tree, on which they are 
allowed to remain for a year after having been plaited to- 
gether. By this time they will have grown firmly together 
in consequence of the bark conforming to the bent strands 
oi the plait. 

369 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

The following kinds of native woods are used for walking- 
sticks : 

Holly. — Sticks of this wood are found growing out from 
the sides of older growths, and shooting up in nearly a 
straight line. Occasionally they may be cut with a crutch-* 
piece across the growing end, or with a crook or knob. 
These are the most valuable. They may be found on a 
well-grown sapling in the deep woods. This should be 




F,z-I0 



pulled or dug up for the sake of its roots. Saplings and 
hedge-sticks may often be found from three to four feet long, 
and from three-eighths to a quarter of an inch in diameter. 
These are not suitable for walking-sticks, but they make 
excellent whip-handles. The holly makes tough, supple, 
and moderately heavy walking-sticks, and its close-grained 

370 



WALKING-STICKS 



wood admits of much skill in carving the knob formed by 
the root and its rootlets. 

Ash. — Respectable sticks of this wood may sometimes be 
cut out of a hedge or pulled from the side of an old stump. 
Ash sticks must also be roughly trimmed and well seasoned 
before they are barked and polished. The root knobs admit 
of excellent grotesque carving. 

Oak. — This of all sticks is the most reliable, and stout 
oaken cudgels are esteemed by most persons as affording 
the best props for failing legs, as well as the best weapons of 
self-defence against quarrelsome dogs, ruffians, and tramps. 
Straight sticks of sapling oak are not always easily obtained, 
but copse-wood sticks pulled from the trunks of trees form 
excellent substitutes. These should be selected for walking- 
sticks that taper from one inch below the knob or crutch to 
one inch at the ferrule end. Oak sticks split in drying when 
the bark has been stripped off or the knobs and branches 
cut too close, or when the sticks are dried too rapidly in a 
very dry place. They are then rendered useless for walking- 
sticks and cudgels. 

Elm. — From the roots of elm-trees saplings often shoot 
up to a height of some ten feet ; these furnish good walking- 
sticks of fancy styles, the rough bark serving the purpose of 
ornamentation when the sticks are dried, stained, varnished, 
and polished. 

Among fruit trees the cherry, apple, and pear furnish 
some very nice, fancy walking-sticks, being supple and of 
moderate strength. 

When sticks are half dried — that is, when the bark is 
shrunken, has lost its sappy greenness, and refuses to peel 
25 371 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

freely — they may be trimmed, straightened, or bent, as re- 
quired. The wood and also the form of the knobs and roots 
will admit of much taste being displayed in grotesque and 
fancy carving. 

I know of a young man in Florida, not yet twenty -one 
years of age, who is paying his way through college by col- 
lecting and curing sticks of the wild orange, on the handles 
of which he carves during his leisure time and vacations 
full-length figures of alligators as shown in Fig. 6. I have 
examined several of these sticks, and the entire work seems 
to be done with small chisels and a parting or V-tool. These 
sticks are in constant demand with visitors and tourists in 
Florida, and have become known as "orange- wood 'gator 
canes." This fact may be suggestive to some of our in- 
genious farmer boys who are struggling to obtain a college 
course. 

Walking-sticks can be gathered at all seasons. The sticks 
should be laid aside in a moderately dry and cool place, and 
should not be worked or the bark taken off till they are half 
dry. They are then most supple, and may be bent or 
straightened without injury. When laying by sticks to dry, 
the knots and spurs should not be trimmed close ; it is best 
to trim them only roughly, leaving the spurs of branches and 
roots on the stick fully an inch long. 

To straighten or bend the sticks, they should be steamed 
until they are supple, or buried in hot, wet sand until they 
become soft; they must then, while still hot, be given the 
form they are intended to keep, and kept in this form until 
they are cold. Straight sticks are tied firmly together in 
small bundles, and wound with a coil of rope from end to 

372 



WALKING-STICKS 



end ; they are then suspended to a beam by their knob ends, 
and a heavy weight is attached to the ferrule ends. Crooks 
may be turned by soaking the end in boiling water for half 
an hour, then bending it to the desired form, and retaining 
it in its position by means of a tourniquet (as shown in 
Fig. 7) until the stick is cold. 

The bark may then be taken off with a sharp knife, but 
care must be taken not to split or chip the wood. Knots 
may be trimmed at the same time, and the root knobs turned 
into grotesque shapes. There are no rules that can be given 
to guide one when carving the roots into handles, since their 
forms are governed by the outlines of the roots, these often 
being very suggestive of themselves. The group of heads 
shown in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 will illustrate what I mean. 
Figs. 8 and 9 show the rough stick, Figs. 10 and 11 the 
finished heads. 

One or two points should receive considerable attention 
when designing the handles. If the stick is to be a fancy 
one to be carried and swung in the hand, the roots can be 
carved into grotesque or fancy forms. But if for use, the 
handle should be round and smooth, so as to fit comfortably 
in the hand. The head of a dog, or a swan or goose, forms 
an appropriate design for a stick that is to be held on the 
arm when lighting a match, or when wishing to have both 
hands free. The crutch and hook are also comfortable 
forms. 

Wooden handles are given touches of rich brown by ap- 
plying a red-hot iron to the parts to be colored. 

All sticks with the rough bark left on should be neatly 
trimmed naked around the neck of the handle, and the 

373 



OUTDOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 

whole lightly gone over with fine sand or emery paper. The 
cane should then receive several dressings of boiled linseed- 
oil and be left to dry. When dry, a coat of shellac varnish 
is applied. Oak canes look best when carefully barked in 
hot water, the loose bark being removed by rubbing with 
coarse canvas, and the cane then dried, dressed with boiled 
linseed-oil, again dried, then polished, and varnished with 
shellac or furniture varnish, and again polished. 

Dogwood and Osage orange sticks can be stained black 
by brushing them over with a hot and strong decoction of 
logwood and nut gall. When this is thoroughly dried, 
brush them over with vinegar in which a few rusty nails 
have been steeped for two or three days. Some persons use 
ink for a black stain, others introduce "drop black" in the 
varnish; a brown or mahogany stain may be obtained by- 
adding some "dragon's-blood" to the varnish. The lower 
ends of the sticks should be guarded from excessive wear by 
a neat brass ferrule; these are cheaper to purchase at a 
hardware store than to make, though I have often used 
brass thimbles and tailors' steel thimbles as a substitute. 
These can be fastened by means of hot shellac, or with a 
brass pin driven into a hole in the thimble and passing 
through the wood of the stick. 

For fastening carved or rustic heads or handles on sticks 
hot glue or thick shellac varnish is used. A good-sized hole 
is first bored into the handle and a hole of similar size in 
the stick; a dowel is driven into the hole in the stick (using 
plenty of glue), after which the handle is driven on to the 
dowel-pin. Handles may be made of horn, which can be 
softened for bending by boiling in oil (not kerosene) or hot 

374 



WALKING-STICKS 



fat. Hard- woods that will take a polish, and vegetable 
ivory, which is very easy and pleasant to carve, are good 
materials to use for handles. For small sticks, bone will be 
found an easy material to shape into handles. 

All the manufacturers of walking-sticks and umbrella and 
parasol handles state that the demand for native woods 
suitable for canes and sticks is constant all the year round, 
and that the sticks may be gathered at all seasons of the 
year and sent to market, both straight and crooked sticks 
being salable, also roots for handles. 



With this we reach the end of our out-door handy book, 
which we trust may become the daily and invaluable com- 
panion of all healthy, active American boys. The in-door 
handy book, the book of electricity, and the book of me- 
chanics for boys, which are to follow, will form, we believe, 
the distinctive American boy's library of practical handy 
books. 



INDEX 



Aerial toys, 81-98; elastic flying- 
machine, 81-86; self-acting aerial 
car, 86-91; aerial boat-sailing, 
91-95; a "high-flyer," 95-98. 

Air-ship kite, an, 126, 127, 128. 

Anglers, aids for young, 160-165. 

Aquarium, an, construction of, 14- 
18; stocking, 19, 22, 23, 169, 171, 
172; changing the water in, ibid.; 
rockeries for, 20; how to manage, 
ibid.; plants for, 21; aerating, 22. 

Arrow weather-vane, the, 64, 65. 

Artificial bait for fish, 168, 169, 

Badger, curing the skin of, 347. 

Bait, box for, 150; bag for, ibid.; 
worms as, 151, 161, 166; min- 
nows as, 151, 161, 166, 167, 168; 
seine for catching live, 161, 162, 
163; boat for, 162, 163; for large 
fish, 166; for chub, ibid.; for bass, 
166, 167; for perch, ^6^(i.; for trout, 
ibid.; where to find, 166-169; dob- 
sons as, 167; pails for, 168; arti- 
ficial, 168, 169; darning-needles as, 
169; for eel-pots, 175. 

Bait-rods, 151-153. 

Basket-ball vane, a, 67, 68, 69. 

Bat-wing kite, the, 128. 

Bear, curing the skin of, 347, 349. 

Beaver, curing the skin of, 347. 

"Becket hitch," the, 160. 

Bends: the common, 288, 289; the 
Carrick, ibid. ; the fisherman's, 
ibid.; the sheet, 289; diagrams 
showing, ibid. See also Hitches 
QXid Knots. 



Bird shelters, 32-34; martin -boxes, 

30- 

Blackwall hitch, the, 290, 291. 

Boats: home-made, 211-238; a 
punt, 212-214; a scow, 214, 215; 
a sharpy, 215-218; a dory, 219- 
221; a sailing sharpy, 2 2 1-2 2 5 ; 
a centre-board sharpy, 225-228; 
a proa, 228-230; a lark, 230-235; 
a power-boat, 235-238; a rowing 
catamaran, 239-241 ; a sailing cat- 
amaran, 241-247 ; a side-wheel cat- 
amaran, 247, 248; a house-punt, 
261-267; a house-raft, 267-277. 
See also Ice-boats. 

Bob-sled, a, 107, 108, 109. 

Boughs, a cot of, 310, 313. 

Bowline knot, the, 283, 285. 

Box kites, 132, 133. 

Brush-house, a, 361-364. 

Brush lean-to, a, 364-366. 

Cages, for squirrels, 45-47 ; for chip- 
munks, 45, 46; for white rats, 
ibid. 

Camp-cooking, 323, 325-330- 

Camp-fires, how to make, 320, 321, 
322, 323. 

Camping equipment, 316, 317, 318. 

Camps and camping, 295-333; a 
tent of medium size, 295-300; a 
large camping-tent, 300-303 ; flies 
and canopies, 303, 304; a house- 
tent, 304-307 ; the new tent, 307- 
310; canvas cots and hammocks, 
3 1 0-3 1 3 ; tables and benches, 301, 
3 13-3 1 5 ; camping equipment, 



377 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



316. 317, 318; lockers and mess- 
kits, 316-319; a stone stove, 319, 
320; camp-fires, 320, 321, 322; 
camp-cooking, 323, 325-330; care 
of a gun, 330-333- 

Canopy, a toadstool tree, 54, 55. 

Canvas cot, a, 310, 311; a folding, 
311, 312. 

Carriage, a hose, 195-198. 

Carrick bend, the, 288, 289. 

Carry-all, a, for campers, 318, 319. 

Cased fur, manner of preparing, 347, 
348. 

Casting, fly, 153-156. 

Catamaran, a rowing, 239-241; a 
sailing, 241-247; a side- wheel, 
247, 248. 

Catspaw hitch, the, 291, 292. 

Chairs for camp life, 314, 315. 

Chest-reel, a, 139, 140. 

Chicken-coops, 41-43- 

Chinese-junk kite, the, 122, 123, 124. 

Clove hitch, the, 289, 290. 

Coasters, skees, and snow-shoes, 
101-114; toboggans, 102-104; a 
rocker-coaster, 103, 105; a single- 
runner coaster, 106, 107, 108; a 
bob-sled, 107-109; skees, no, 
in; snow-shoes, 111-114. 

Common bend, the, 288, 289. 

Coops for chickens, 41-43- 

Cot, a canvas, 310, 311; a folding, 
311, 312; of boughs, 310, 313. 

Cotes, pigeon, 34-36. 

Crowned wall knot, the, 284, 285, 
286. 

Crown-top kite, the, 128. 

Curing of skins, the, 346-349. 

Deadfalls, for muskrat, 340, 341, 
342; for skunk, 342, 346; the 
*' wigwam," 344, 345, 346. 

Diagrams, showing splices, 281; 
showing knots, 285; showing 
bends, 289; showing hitches, 289, 
291. 

Diamond knot, the, 285, 286. 

Dog-kennels, 36-39. 

Dory, a, how to make, 219-221. 

Double-plane kite, the, 136, 137, 138. 



Double wall and double crown knot, 
the, 285, 286. 

Eel-pot, a, how to make, 172, 173, 

174; baiting, 175. 
Elastic flying-machine, 81-86. 
Engine, a fire, 191-195. 
Equipment for camping, 316, 317, 

318. 

Fires, camp, how to make, 320, 321, 
322, 323. 

Fire-engine, a, 191-195. 

Fisherman's bend, the, 288, 289. 

Fish, for aquariums, 19, 20, 22, 23, 
169; cleaning, 145; bait for, 151, 
161, 166-169; trap for small, 169- 
171. 

Fishing, pleasure in, 144; secret of 
success in, 146. 

Fishing-tackle, 144-166; testing, 
147; care of , ibid.; rods, 148, 149, 
158; lines, 149; hooks, 149, 150, 
158; reels, 150; floats, 150, 152, 
164; sin'keTS, ibid. ; landing-nets, 
151; flies, ibid.; repairing, 156- 
160. 

Float, a, 277-279. 

Floats, fish, 150, 152, 164. 

Flies for camping-tents, 303, 304. 

Fly-casting, 153-156. 

Fly-rods, 153-156. 

Flying- wedge kite, the, 135, 136. 

Fountain, a, how made, 9-14. 

Fox, curing the skin of, 347; 
stretcher, 349. 

Ground-hogs, how to trap, 346. 
Grubs for fish bait, 167. 
Guinea-pig houses, 39-41. 
Gun, the care of a, 330, 331; the 
handling of a, 33^-333- 

Half hitches, two, 289, 290. 
Hammock, a canvas, 312, 313. 
Handles for walking-sticks, 374, 375. 
"High-flyer," a, 95-98. 
Hitches: the "Becket," 160; two 

half, 289, 290; the clove, ibid.; 

the slippery, 290, 291; the Black- 



378 



INDEX 



wall, ibid. ; the timber, ihid. ; the 
rolling, ibid.; the Magnus, 291; 
the catspaw, 291, 292; the sheep- 
shank, ibid. ; the marling, ibid. 
See also Bends and Knots. 

Hook-and-ladder truck, a, 198-200. 

Hooks, fish, 149, 150; putting, to 
gut, 158. 

Hoop drop-net, a, how to make, 176. 

Hoop-stretcher, a, 347, 349. 

Hose-carriage, a, 195-198. 

House -boats, 261-277; a house- 
punt, 261-267; a house-raft, 267- 
277. 

Houses for guinea-pigs, 39-41. 

How to grow walking-sticks, 367- 

369- 

Hut, a low twin-tree, 350-356; a 
high twin-tree, 350-356; a single- 
tree, 359, 360; a low single-tree, 
360, 361. 

Hutches for rabbits, 43-45. 



Ice-boats, 249-260; a sloop-rij 
ice-yacht, 249-253; a twin-mast 
ice-yacht, 253, 254; scoots and 
scooters, 255-259; a wind-runner, 
259, 260, 

Ice-sail, a square-rigged, 118. 

Ice-yacht, a sloop-rigged, how to 
make, 249-253; a twin-mast, 253, 

254. 
"Invisible," or "whip-finish, " knot, 
the, 158, 160. 

Kennels for dogs, 36-39. 

Kites: the ship, 120-122 ; the Chinese- 
junk, 122-124; the schooner, 124, 
125; a balloon, 125, 126; an air- 
ship, 126, 127; bat-wing, 128; 
crown-top, ibid.; Sandwich Island 
bird, 1 29-131; box, 132. 133; the 
" paralleloplane, " 134, 135; the 
flying-wedge, 135-138; the double- 
plane, ibid.; reels, 138-143. 

Knots: the "invisible," or "whip- 
finish," 158, 160; the reef, 282, 
283, 285; the bowline, 283, 285; 
the bowline on a bight, 283, 284, 
285; the running bowline, 284, 



I 285; the wall, ibid.; the crown 
wall, 284, 285, 286; diagrams 
showing, 2 85 ; the double wall and 
double crown, 285, 286; a stop- 
per, ibid. ; a man rope, ibid. ; the 
Matthew Walker, ibid. ; the dia- 
mond, ibid. ; the Turk's head, 285, 
287; the rope yarn, ibid.; the 
lark's head, ibid. See also Bends 
and Hitches. 
Knotting of gut, 158, 159, 160. 

Landing-net, a, for fish, 151. 
Land-yacht, a, 177-182. 
Lark, a, how to make, 230-235. 
Lark's head knot, the, 285, 287. 
Lee-board, a, 225. 
Lines, fish, 149. 

Lizards, pens for, 47, 48, 50, 51. 
Lock-boxes for camping outfit, 316, 
317.318. 

Magnus hitch, the, 291. 
Man rope knot, a, 285, 286. 
Marling hitch, the, 291, 292. 
Marten-trap, a, 344. 
Merry-go-round, a, construction of, 

24-28; vane, 69, 70. 
Mink, curing the skin of, 347, 348, 

349; stretcher, 349. 
Mink-trap, a, 342, 343. 344- 
Minnows for fish bait, 151, 161, 166, 

167, 168. 
Mortar, a snowball, 118, 119. 
Muskrat - trap, a, 339, 340, 341, 

342. 

Nest of pockets, a, for camping out- 
fit, 317, 318. 

Oak walking-sticks, 371. 
Opossum, curing the skin of, 347. 
Ovens, camp, how to make, 323, 
324, 325- 

Paddle-wheels: different kinds, 
201; the modern turbine, 202; a 
simple paddle-wheel, 202, 203; a 
wagon wheel, 203, 204; a barrel- 
wheel, 204, 205; an undershot- 



379 



OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS 



wheel, 206; a power-wheel, 206, 
207, 208. 

Pens for reptiles, 47-51. 

Pet shelters, 29-51 ; for martins, 30- 
32; for birds, 32-34; for pigeons, 
34-36; for dogs, 36-39; for 
guinea-pigs, 39-41; for chickens, 
41-43; for rabbits, 43-45; for 
squirrels, 45-47; for chipmunks, 
ibid. ; for white rats, ibid. ; for 
reptiles, 47-51. 

Pergola, a back-yard, 53, 54; a 
rustic, 55, 56, 57; a circular, 57, 
58. 

Pigeon-cotes, 34-36. 

Pinion-wheel, weather-vane, a, 60- 
62; a barrel-hoop, 72. 

Pockets, a nest of, for camping out- 
fit, 317, 318. 

Power-boat, a, how to make, 235- 
238. 

Proa, a, how to make, 228-230. 

Pumping windmill, a, 73, 77. 

Punt, a, how to make, 212-214; a 
house, 261. 

Pushmobile, a, 185-190. 

Putting the hook to gut, 157, 158, 
159, 160. 

Rabbit, hutches, 43-45; snares, 
335. 336, 337> 338; traps, 338, 
339. 

Raccoon, curing the skin of, 347, 

349- 
Reef knot, the, 282, 283, 285. 
Reel, a chest, 139, 140; a box, 141, 

142, 143. 
Reels, kite, 138-143; fish, 150. 
Repairing fishing-tackle, 156-160. 
Reptile pens, 47-51. 
Rocker-coaster, a, 103, 105. 
Rods, fishing, elasticity of, 148; 

bait, 148, 151; fly, 148, 149, 153- 

156; split-bamboo, 149; handling 

of, 151, 152, 153; repairing, 157, 

158, 159. 
Rolling hitch, the, 290, 291. 
Rope yarn knot, the, 285, 287. 
Running bowline knot, the, 284, 

^85. 



Sable, trap for, 344; curing the 
skin of, 347. 

Sail-skating and snowball artiller}', 
115-119; a skating sail, 1 1 5-1 17; 
a square-rigged ice-sail, 118; a 
snowball mortar, 118, 119. 

Sail-wagon, a, 182-185. 

Sandwich Island bird kite, the, 129, 
130, 131, 132. 

Scap-net, how made, 19, 175, 176. 

Scoots and scooters, "ice-water 
boats," 255-259. 

Scow, a, how to make, 214, 215. 

Seine for catching live bait, 161, 162, 
163. 

Self-acting aerial-car, 86-91. 

Sharpy, a, how to make, 215-218; 
a sailing, 221-225; a centre-board, 
225-228. 

Sheepshank hitch, the, 291, 292. 

Sheet bend, the, 289. 

Shelters for pets, 29-51; for martins, 
30-32; for birds, 32-34; for 
pigeons, 34-36; for dogs, 36-39; 
for guinea-pigs, 39-41 ; for chick- 
ens, 41-43; for rabbits, 43-45; 
for squirrels, 45-47 ; for chip- 
munks, ibid.; for white rats, ^"fc^'ci.; 
for reptiles, 47-51. 

Ship kite, the, 120, 121, 122. 

vSingle-runner coaster, a, 106, 107, 
108. 

Sinkers, fish, 150, 152, 164. 

Skating-sail, a, 11 5-1 17. 

Skees, Norway, no, in. 

Skins, animal, how to cure, 346-349. 

Skunks, trap for, 342, 346; curing 
the skin of, 347. 

Sled-toboggan, a, 103, 104. 

Slippery hitch, the, 290, 291. 

Snails, for aquariums, 20, 23. 

Snakes, pens for, 47, 48, 49. 

Snares, 334; for rabbits, 335, 336, 

337' 338. 
Snowball mortar, a, 118, 119. 
Snow-shoes, the Iroquois, in, 112; 

the Esquimaux, 112, 113; oval, 

114. 
South Sea Island proa, a, how to 

make, 228-230. 



38P 



INDEX 



splices: how made, 159; different 
kinds, 280; the eye-splice, 280,281; 
diagrams showing, 281; the short 
splice, 2 8 1, 2 82; the long splice, 2 82. 

Splicing a fishing-rod, 157, 158. 

Square-rigged ice-sail, a, 118. 

Squirrel cages, 45-47. 

Stone stoves for campers, 319, 320, 
321. 

Stopper knot, a, 285, 286. 

Stoves, stone, for campers, 319, 320, 
321. 

Stretchers for drying skins, 347, 348, 

349- 
Summer-house, a simple, 52-53, 58. 

Tables for camp life, 301, 313, 314, 

315- 

Tadpoles for aquariums, 20. 

Tent, for camping out, 295; a me- 
dium-size, 295-300; a large camp- 
ing, 300-303; a house, 304-307; 
the new, 307-310. 

Tepees, square, 6, 7 ; ridge-pole, 7,8,9. 

Timber hitch, the, 290, 291. 

Toadstool tree canopy, a, 54, 55. 

Toboggan, an eight-foot, 102, 103; 
a sled, 103. 

Trap, a, for small fish, 1 69-171; for 
water- turtles, 171, 172. 

Traps and trapping, 334-349; rab- 
bit-traps, 338, 339; muskrat- 
traps, 339, 340, 341, 342; mink- 
traps, 342, 343; skunk-traps, 342, 
346; deadfalls, 342, 344, 345; 
sable - traps, 3 44 ; martin - traps, 
ibid. ; woodchuck - traps, 346 ; 
ground-hog-traps, ibid. See also 
Snares. 

Tree huts and brush-houses, 350- 
366; a low twin-tree hut, 350- 
356; a high twin-tree hut, 355- 
358; a single-tree hut, 359, 360; 
a low single-tree hut, 360, 361; a 
brush-house, 361-364; a brush 
"lean-to," 364-366. 

Truck, a hook-and-ladder, 198-200. 

Turk's head knot, the, 285, 287. 



Turtles, water, a trap for, 171, 172. 
"Twitch-up," a, for rabbits, 335, 

336; a French, 336, 337, 338. 
Two half hitches, 289, 290. 

Wagon, a sail, 182-185. 

Walker, Matthew, knot, the, 285, 286. 

Walking-sticks, 367-375; how to 
grow, 367-369; holly, 370, 371; 
ash, 371; oak, ibid. ; elm, ibid. ; 
from fruit trees, 371, 372; from 
wild orange, 372; method of treat- 
ment, 372, 373, 374; handles for, 
374; demand for, 375. 

Wall knot, the, 284, 285. 

Water in aquariums, to aerate, 22. 

Water-turtles, a trap for, 171, 172. 

Water-wheels: different kinds, 201; 
the modem turbine, 202; a sim- 
ple paddle-wheel, 202, 203; a 
wagon wheel, 203; 204; a barrel- 
wheel, 204, 205; an undershot- 
wheel, 206; a power-wheel, 206, 
207, 208. 

Weasel, curing the skin of, 347. 

Weather-vanes, 59-80; a pinion- 
wheel, 60-62 ; a wind - speeder, 
62-64; the arrow, 64, 65; wood- 
en, 65, 66; a wind-pennant, 66, 
67; a basket-ball, 67-69; a mer- 
ry-go-round, 69-71. 

Wheel-race, a, construction of, 208. 

Wigwams, Indian, 3-6. 

Windmills, 59-80; wind turbine, 71- 
73 ; pumping, 73-77 ; tower, 78-80. 

Wind-pennant, a, 66, 67. 

Wind-runner, a, how to make, 259, 
260. 

Wind-sails, 115, 116, 117, 118. 

Wind-speeder, a, 62, 63. 

Wind turbine, a, 71-73. 

Woodchucks, how to trap, 346. 

Wooden weather-vanes, 63, 65, 66. 

Wolf, curing the skin of, 347. 

Worms for fish bait, 150, 151, 152, 
161, 166. 

Yacht, aland, 177-182. 



THE END 



M/kY 16 190? 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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;0 020 237 097 4 




